


Little Details

by Lunarjoe



Series: Expect the Unexpected [1]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Conspiracy, Crimes, F/M, Litte Romance because too Busy to Save the World, Mind my grammar, New Characters Alert!, Slice of Life, Tragedy/Comedy, Trying to be a Little bit Realistic, mind blowing, slow but sure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:35:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 40,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24910051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarjoe/pseuds/Lunarjoe
Summary: It was an unexpected journey for the suspended Racoon S.T.A.R.S. members to expose Umbrella's crimes. Regrouping and recruit some allies along their way, they had to do anything necessary to take down Umbrella including doing something illegal. It begins with Jill stories: she had to survive for a while after succeeding escaped from the Racoon incident.The story happened after RE:3 in Perry's Universe.Chapter 9 is out. Check it out! :)
Relationships: Carlos Oliveira & Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield & Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield/Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy/Claire Redfield
Series: Expect the Unexpected [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1806520
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	1. Escaped

**Author's Note:**

> These 2 weeks, I’ve been read the resident evil novels series. And what surprised me was, it made a lot of sense than the game lol. It’s more satisfying for my brain, albeit the game made me easily to imagine the story, its characters, and the situation. It’s too bad that S.D Perry (the author) didn’t have any intention to continue to write series anymore. I’m encouraging you to read those tho’, it was pretty fun, especially 'Caliban cove' and 'Undercover' parts because Capcom didn't make those into a game. Well, it understandable that it’s not easy to make a game that satisfies everyone. But believe me, if you can make a good game with a good detail and graphics supported by good plot (like last of us) it’s definitely will win some awards.  
> So I guess I will make a little detailed story from the novels (definitely different from what the game and some sources). And for some reason, I will continue the last story from S.D Perry (please don’t compare my creation with her, I’m just noobs in this:”) )  
> Please enjoy my fanfic, your comment to improve this fanfic absolutely will help me. Mind my grammar, 😊 English is my second language. Need to build mood to fix it hehe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After successfully escape from the nuke missile that destroys Racoon City, Jill had to find another way to survive: she couldn't use her money in the bank and use her real identity. Umbrella could easily track her down. She needed to stay low for a while. It was good that Carlos Oliviera was around to help her while she had to wait for updates from Barry and Chris.

**October 2nd,1998**

Jill thought of many things. She wanted to meet her father as soon as possible, hugged him, and told him the craziest things that happen in her life for the past months, but the situation didn’t give her the permission to do so.

“You know Carlos, I’m grateful that the government decides to destroy Racoon City. So, I don’t need to pay bills anymore.” said Jill broke the silence while she saw a far distance in the helicopter window.

Carlos gave her a smirk. It had been 2 hours since they flight from Racoon City to the city where Carlos lives. They both decided to go there because they didn’t have anywhere to go, let alone too tired to think.

Jill then checked her waist pocket. Her long sighed made Carlos turned to her.

“What’s the matter?”

“I’m glad I put my passport and my wallet here, and a few bucks too. I need to think about something to live for a moment while I get some updates from Barry and Chris. They are one of Racoon S.T.A.R.S who tries to gather some information about the Umbrella.”

“Do you always bring your wallet to your daily-operation?”

Jill chuckled “Never. This is the first time I brought it. How I suppose to live after I successfully escape from hell?”

“Well, there will be another hell for you, right?”

Jill gave him a short laugh “I guess I just need to search another way to escape from it.” Jill tried to think about what will happen after all of this. She and other Racoon S.T.A.R.S members haven’t figured out how to expose umbrella crimes and what was the next step for it. She felt so stupid and guilty that she couldn’t gather any information about Umbrella in Racoon, because the monster that followed her anywhere. She was glad at least that the monster finally died.

“Fun fact, I always bring my wallet every time I go to my mission. In case when the mission failed while I’m still alive, I can escape and try to buy some food or a flight ticket to go back home.”

“Really?”

Carlos gave her a warm smile “Never failed mission before. And now I successfully rescue one civilian in my first U.B.C.S. operation. So, I guess my wallet become my lucky charm.” He said it proudly. He achieved his mission objective: save the Racoon City’s civilian from the infectious human, even only one.

“Thank you, Carlos, for saving my life.” She told him sincerely.

“Part of my operation objective though. I’ve got paid to save you.”

Jill chuckled. She felt gratitude toward Carlos since he tried to search for a vaccine to cure her from the t-virus.

“Uh-huh.”

She had been told by Carlos it will take around 3 hours to go to the U.B.C.S field office especially with this old helicopter. She was wondering how could the tyrant or nemesis or whatever it called – a monster which tried to kill the rest of Racoon S.T.A.R.S. members – had been programmed to kill her. _What kind of technology could do that?_ Moreover, it could mean that she was one of Umbrella's most wanted persons to be killed. She couldn’t expose herself. Especially when she had to step on to the U.B.C.S field office. She worried enough that maybe Umbrella would tell U.B.C.S to kill her and get Carlos any trouble.

“I shouldn’t go to U.B.C.S field office you know. I’m afraid that there are any cameras recording what we’ve done in the previous lab. People from Umbrella will try to find me and it could cause you troubles.”

“Well, do you think we can parking this 'copter anywhere?”

“Of course not. But you can drop me to the place far from your office, right?”

“Then where are you going after that?”

“Find any motel, and absolutely buy some clothes. Making some plans and try to contact Barry or Chris, and stay low.”

Jill barely knew the city and must be tired of trying to be alive from the Racoon's disaster. He wasn’t any gentlemen, but he couldn’t let her do that.

“You can stay for a while in my apartment. Gather some thought with whatever you need before making a real move to kick Umbrella’s ass. Don’t you feel tired? You’ve got a lot of energy like a happy puppy. And obviously you need a new identity, for a while.”

Jill didn’t respond to him. Having her passport was quite useless for a while. Hiding to her enemies totally coward act. But she agreed with Carlos's idea. She decided to stick to her previous plan when someone had evacuated her in Racoon City, using her fifth’s grade best friend name, Kimberly Sampsel, and change her appearance, try to avoid Umbrella’s attention.

“What are you going after this? Resign from U.B.C.S?”

He thought for a while. He got a good wage from U.B.C.S even he was only 1 month 2 weeks of training there, and he needed to send some money for his family in Honduras. Finding a new job as good as U.B.C.S would be hard for him. Not to forget that he needed to be paid for his success first operation: saving civilian -Jill- from Racoon incident.

“I’ll figure it out something. I’ll stay for a while there, just to get insurance or medical treatment first to fix what broken here.” Carlos put his hand on his ribs.

“You can apply to the army though. I think Umbrella will always use U.B.C.S. to clean up their mess, not to mention their lab, but also people who mess up with them.” Jill shot him a cynical gazed.

“What about you?”

“With some corrupted S.T.A.R.S. highers up, and I got suspended, it’s impossible for me to work there anymore. And in this condition, it’s a little chance for me to apply for another law enforcement job. While waiting for Barry and Chris, I guess it’s time for me to get a more normal job. I can’t use money in the bank too.”

She couldn’t take her money from the bank or ATM because Barry told her so, it was possible for Umbrella to track where she was. Before Barry and Chris went to Europe, she encouraged herself to take enough money - didn't care that it could risk her- to rent an empty apartment that closer to RPD than her rent house in the suburban. After Umbrella’s attack to Barry’s house and a mess in her house - which was also by Umbrella-, she didn’t plan to live in her rent house. She also didn’t plan to be a thief, it was so wrong even after she was suspended. It was hurt for her morals to steal something to keep her alive while she could do anything better than that.

The silence came again once more. They both lost in their own thought.

* * *

The helicopter landed on the U.B.C.S office helipad. Before they landed, Carlos tried to contact the U.B.C.S communication tower to give him access to land, and someone called Rudy gave him permission to do so. No one came to greet them. Usually, at times like this -in the morning-, some squads having some field exercise. Remember what Mitch Hirami said – his previous squad leader who died in Racoon City- U.B.C.S. were calling in everyone - four platoons, three squads of ten in each platoon, 120 people all total to ‘rescue’ the civilian, and most of them died in the Racoon City except him -that what he had believed-. If U.B.C.S. knew this and had told them what kind of things they needed to kill -zombies-, probably some of them still alive.

After both of them on the ground, Carlos walked toward Jill and stared at her face. Jill stared him back, confused. Then Carlos looked around helipad and found some dirt and black spilled oil, put it on his hand, and walked toward Jill again and smeared the dirt and oil to Jill’s face.

“Hey!” she tried to hit Carlos's hands.

Carlos ignored her and put the dirt on her hair.

“As you said before, you need to stay low.”

“You can tell me before smear it to my face.” Jill annoyed.

“Sorry. Let’s get out of here before someone sees us. But first I need to take some things from my locker.”

They jogged to U.B.C.S. employee’s lockers. After arrived at some kind of warehouse which is not that far from the helipad, they went to a locker room and Carlos opened his locker and grabbed a backpack from it.

“Give me your gun, ammo, and belt.” Carlos said while reached his hand to Jill's position.

“For what?”

“I’ll put it in my bag. Don’t worry, I’ll give it back to you.”

Jill then gave him all her things that could make any people's attention, then Carlos took a jacket from his locker and gave it to Jill. Without saying anything, Jill took it, wore, and zip it to her body. His jacket was too big for Jill, the length of it could cover her thighs.

“Don’t you need to do fill some report to your captain or something like that?”

“Our objective now is to get out of here as soon as possible. Hiding you. I can come here tomorrow and make some stories. Not mention that my squad leader is dead.” Said Carlos, while he took off his bullet vest, and searching from its pocket some ammo or maybe magazines. Found some of it, he put on the rest of ammo, magazines, and his handgun to his backpack. _Maybe I’ll use it in the future and I’m not feeling guilty to steal some ammo and magazines from some evil corporation._

Suddenly they heard a footstep, then they saw someone ran toward them.

“Hey, you’re Carlos who tries to contact with the helicopter radio right? I saw you run to the warehouse. Where are the others?”

“And you are?” Carlos raised his left brow.

“Rudy from the communication tower.”

“Where're the others? You’re alone here?”

“Probably me and other administrative officers here now. I heard all of the squads go to Racoon City right? And about my question…”

“They… they didn’t make it…. Maybe I am the only one….. Sorry, I didn’t give you the detail of what happens via radio. I escaped from a nuclear missile that bombing Racoon City and I am very tired now. I want to take a rest for a bit.”

“Should you need to fill some reports about it?”

“Yes. But I need medical attention first, I broke my rib. I’ll do it as soon as possible.”

Rudy nodded, then he turned and saw Jill. Jill avoided Rudy’s eyes, afraid he was going to recognize her.

“I already watch the news of Racoon City though. Totally madness. I can’t wait to hear your story and report. And speaking of which, who are you?”

“She is J--”

Jill cut Carlos, “Kimberly Sampsel. I guess I am the only survivor of the Racoon....” Jill stared him for a while with her dirty face, then grabbed Rudy’s uniform collar, and start yelling and crying.

“I worked at a local art gallery, no family, and I had only moved to Raccoon recently. And you know what, there were zombies everywhere, tried to eat my flesh. It was crazyyyyyyy……crazyyyyyy!!!!” Jill then hugged Rudy fiercely.

Rudy's height is almost like Jill's. Totally different with 5.9 feet Carlos body size. Tiny body for a man who worked for U.B.C.S.

Rudy's expression was so priceless, he was so speechless and shock.

“Who is responsible for that madness? Oh God please save us all, pleaseee God tells us this is not a sign of the end of the world!”

Carlos forced himself not to laugh. _Can't believe a strong and calm woman becomes a lunatic like this. Maybe Jill should be an actress instead._

Rudy pat Jill shoulder, Jill didn’t release her fierce hug and tried her best to fake her sobbing so hard.

“Miss I know you’ve been through a rough moment....” He did his best to understand her situation, still patting her shoulder, and looked at her, wearing a U.B.C.S jacket. _Probably Carlos gave it to her_. Then he whispered to Carlos which totally can be heard by Jill.

“Where do you find her? She’s so dirty and she doesn't have some kind of fashion sense?”  
Jill was so annoyed with Rudy. _How come he said something so unimportant like fashion in this kind of situation?_ Jill hugged him even more tightly to revenge his comment toward her.

“I found her in the boutique wore some weird clothes while eating some dirt. When we walked together, she took spilled oil on the road and smeared it to her face. She thought that it could camouflage her from the zombies' attacks. Crazy woman.” Carlos responded by giving him another loud whisper-which was not a whisper anymore-and his hand gesturing for a crazy brain. 

“Miss, do you have any family here?”

Sense harm coming from Rudy’s question, Carlos then took the initiative to make another story.

“She told me that she has a brother here. Maybe I’ll take her to the police station. Just let the police find her family and ......take care of her for a while.”

Jill then released her hug, and stared Rudy's face for a moment, then frowned.

“Yeah I have a brother here….. But, you know what? The government should take responsibility for taking my life in Raccoon!!!!!! They should just let me become a zombie and eat their fucking corrupt brains, bodies, and souls!!” Jill screamed and pushed Rudy to the locker, and Carlos fakely struggled to hold Jill from Rudy.

“Umbrella and the corrupted government did thissss. Umbrella and the corrupted government did thisss!!!!” Jill still screaming.

“Ms. Kimberly, calm down. Rudy, I’ll see you soon okay, amigo. Afraid that she will hurt you and me. Should take her to the PD as soon as possible!” Carlos took his backpack, and drag her waist with his left hand while Jill still fakely struggled to attack Rudy.

Rudy stayed there, shock with what happened to him. He regretted come after Carlos and Jill. _Why she only attack me?_ _It is some kind of mental shock?_ _Good things the woman feels comfortable enough with Carlos. Thankfully I don't need to help Carlos to drag that freak to the PD._

* * *

  
After they get out of the locker room and made sure Rudy didn’t follow them, Carlos released his grip from Jill's waist. 

“Never thought of changing career path? Definitely you could win Oscar.”

“Never, ever, mention this to anyone. Or I kill you.”

“You know holding your laugh is more painful than breaking your rib.”

“Uh-huh.”

Carlos chuckled. “Come on Jill, before we bump into Rudy again, or another Rudy.”

Jill gave him a smirk and jogged along with Carlos. Actually, it was not that bad when she screaming and yelling to Rudy. Count it as expressing her stress out of her mind with whatever that happened to her life for a moment.

Carlos knew a shortcut road to reach the main road from the warehouse. That was why it only took 20 minutes by walking from his apartment to the warehouse, but right now, they prefer using a car for a faster trip. Fortunately, when they reached the main road, there was a taxi, they hop in, and told the driver the direction of Carlos’s apartment. They both sat in the back seat, looked back to make sure no one following them.

The driver saw both of them from the rearview mirror and broke their silence.

“Your date night must be so interesting that you come home with those dirty faces and dirty clothes. Plus those smell though.”

Their appearance was out of the question: dirty faces, dirty clothes, and smell like smoked meat, mix with sweat and damp clothes. Heard the driver, Carlos couldn’t hold his laugh. He laughed so hard. Jill just kept her mouth closed. Too ashamed with her fake act toward Rudy. She couldn't believe that she could act lunatic like that.

“Yes sir, we had the craziest date ever. I’m sure you don’t wanna hear that”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well i am satisfied enough with this chapter. Hope you enjoy and feel satisfied too :D  
> i guess i'll fix the chapter when Jill first comes to Racoon city. when i have a good mood hehe.


	2. Money Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill got money trouble after the Racoon City disaster. Could she manage it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I found that there were inconsistencies when the nuclear missile destroyed raccoon city.  
> in the game, the nuke missile destroyed it on October 1st. In the resident evil book 3, Leon and Claire arrived at Racoon on October 3, so it was possible for them to still around the secret lab on October 4. In the resident evil book 5, Jill and Carlos escape from Racoon on October 2. So just let us decide that Claire, Leon, and Sherly (and Ada, how was Ada manage to escape tho? lol let's make her story then) escape from Racoon on October 1st, while Jill and Carlos on October 2nd.
> 
> Another one, in resident evil book 3, it said that Jill, Barry, and Chris manage themselves to escape from Racoon city on September 26, while in the resident evil book 5, (it not stated clearly) that Jill stayed in the raccoon to do some further investigation. But it said that Jill knew the disaster started 5 days before September 28 (the virus start to attack several people and police made a blockade), 3 days before September 28 she found out about the attack and warned to RPD, and the outside lines were cut). So let's decide that Barry and Chris left Racoon on September 23, while Jill started the investigation on the same day and she rented an empty Apartment near RPD.
> 
> Well, I'm not trying to disregarding S.D Perry's novel, it's just too bad she missed this, the plot itself already great. That's why this story called 'little details'.
> 
> This one is quite a boring chapter. But i guess this chapter will be an important one, that tells us how Jill managed herself until she met barry and the gangs. well, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

“Please stop in front of that car.” Carlos pointed to a black SUV in front of them

The driver turned right and stop in the SUV back. Carlos gave him some money, and he and Jill got out of the Taxi. Jill walked toward Carlos.

“Do you know any convenient store nearby?” She asked him.

“On the corner of that intersection. Why?”

“I need to buy something.”

“What do you need?”

Jill felt slightly annoyed. How could she tell him that she needed underwear? It’d been 3 days she wore the same clothes, let alone it was wet and dry again, plus dirty. She already felt disgusted with herself. The longest time she had not changed her clothes and underwear was when she on her S.T.A.R.S.'s operation in Texas to take down a children trafficking organization. After the operation had done, she took a bath for 3 hours. Next time she had to get out of an apocalypse, she would make sure to bring a backpack with some clothes and underwear. She assumed that Carlos would lend her some clothes, but wear them without clean underwear? _No way in million years!_

“Some woman stuff.” she answered it to avoid seeing his face, blushing.

Carlos gave her blank gazed. Then it snapped his brain. _Maybe she needs tampons._ Remember that his older sister sometimes ordered him to buy some of it.

“Do you need me to come--”

“I can do it alone, thank you. Where do you live? You can go first.”

“This building, floor 3rd, number 312. I won’t lock the door. I’ll see you around then.” Carlos dismissed his hand, and turned around, walked toward the building.

Jill nodded and then turned her heels to the convenient store. She didn’t care why people passing by watching her. _Too tired to care_.

She opened the convenient store door, hoping that the store has some woman underwear. She started searching for woman underwear, tampons, some ointments, some gauzes, hair dyed, toothbrush, alcohol -to clean up any wound-, and two bottles of milk. She thought that food could come later after she and Carlos got some rest. Lucky for her to find all of the things she needed. She focused on a blue-cheap baseball cap in the corner of the store. She grabbed it then walked toward the cashier. The cashier was a fat bald old man wearing red flannel, who gave her weird glared.

“Have a bad day miss?” He asked her while took her things to the barcode scanner.

Jill didn’t want to make the same lunatic act like what she had done to Rudy. She looked over the comic shelf near the cashier and gave her some idea.

“My house was on fire. Nothing left.” She gave him a sour smile. Believing people already watched the news, She didn’t want to risk herself by saying that she was a Racoon City survivor. They would interview her like crazy.

 _That’s explained her dirty face and appearance then. Maybe the jacket was the only thing she had._ The cashier man sighed and remembering what his mother ever said to him: _helping people in need was a good thing and someday when you need something so desperately,_ _God will send someone to help you too_.

“Where do you live now miss?”

 _For a cashier, he talked too much, didn’t he?_ she growled. “Calling for my relative in Utah. I’ll hit the road or park until they pick me up… ”

“It would be 15 dollars, miss.” He put all Jill things to the plastic and gave it to her.

“Thanks.” She paid for her things and walked toward the door.

While she closed the convenient store’s door, the cashier called her and shoved her another plastic bag.

“Here, take this. You don’t have to pay.”

Jill stared at him blankly. “Are you sure?”

“Take it before I changed my mind.”

Jill gave her a grateful smile, “Thank you, sir.”

“I wish the best for your life miss. Don't forget, every cloud has a silver lining.”

She gave him a nod and then walked away, slightly guilty that she growled to him before. _Never thought that there still someone who has a great attitude. Do I need to tell everyone that I lost my house due to a fire so anyone will give me free things? Well, it’s not a lie though that my house totally dooms because of nuke missile._

* * *

Carlos opened his backpack and searching for his apartment key.

_Found it!_

He then opened the door and forgot that his apartment still in a mess. He had not opened some boxes since he had only moved to the city around 3 weeks ago. If there wasn’t any woman that would come to his apartment, he probably would take a fast bath and sleep right away. His ribs were tomorrow's problem. He searched for a clean sheet for his bed, changed it instantly, and then searched for a clean towel, shirt, and shorts that probably could be wear by Jill. For a while, he thought that he was an idiot that offered his place to Jill. But everything already happened so fast, it was pointless to regret it. He put those on the bed and prepared himself to take a fast bath. _I really want to sleep. 24 hours. Stat._

Jill stood in front of Carlos’s door. She knocked it, but no one answers it. She took a deep breath and opened the door. She was fascinated by Carlos's apartment room: there was only one bedroom, one bathroom, a large living room that connected to the kitchen, and a small balcony that has cloth lines. It wasn’t as dirty as what she imagined, a little bit messy with some unopened boxes. It was so much better than her express apartment in Racoon City.

Closed the door and locked it, Jill heard water splashing. She put the grocery to the kitchen, put the rest of the shopping bag on the couch, and sat on it. It was so awkward for her, waiting for him while drinking a bottle of milk and eating chocolate fill bread that had given by the cashier.

She heard the door opened and saw Carlos with only a towel around his waist. His body was well built. Jill swallowed her food and looked away. She remembered that she had seen all the Racoon S.T.A.R.S members upper body when training together with them in the RPD’ gym. All of them were well built except Brad. Chris had the most well-craved body though.

“You scared me!” yelled Carlos while he swiped his hair to his left side.

Jill tried to look expressionless as possible while looking at his direction. Carlos then jogged his way to his room and closed the door. She struggled to finish her light meal, avoiding her brain to think about his body. _Stop it you, damn brain!_

Carlos opened the door and he wore a plain black shirt with ¾ cargo pants.

“You should take a bath. I prepared a towel and some clothes for you to wear. Hope it will fit.”

“Thank you, again Carlos. By the way, I’ve got you some food. Try to eat it before you sleep.”

“Nada, Jill.”

Carlos walked to the kitchen to grab some food while Jill walked to his room to take the towel and clothes. She also brought her shopping bag to the bathroom.

The first thing she had to do when she locked the bathroom was using the hair dyed. It was a platinum blonde color and it took half hour to wait for her hair color to change. She hated the idea of using hair dyed because her father always tells her that her brunette hair color was fit for her. After undress her clothes, she checked her body, so many bruises on her body, not mention big wounds from the Nemesis. Took a deep breath, she opened the bandage on her right shoulder and saw a big deep hole wound. She cleaned it up with alcohol and tried not to scream. _Hurt so much._ I need _to go to the hospital to get real stitches._

After done her bath, she put her dirty clothes to the plastic and planned to do laundry later. She opened the door and found Carlos already in deep sleep on the couch. Feel tired, Jill walked toward his bedroom and threw herself onto the bed without bothering to close the door.

* * *

Jill woke up with slight dizziness and ache on her right shoulder, she saw the alarm beside her that show it was already 7 p.m. She slept for almost 9 hours and so happy finally she could get proper sleep and feeling lucky that she didn’t have any nightmare because it was a totally blank and dark dream. She remembered that she had to check her email, perhaps Chris or Barry sent her some information about where they had stayed. Even if they didn't give her any updates, she could send them some information about how she survived the Racoon disaster. Later, she looked around the room to see if Carlos has a laptop. She couldn't find it, so she looked around the living room and yet didn't find it. She could ask Carlos, but he still slept. The only way she could access the internet was to a public library. She was pretty sure in this big city, the library would have any internet access but at times like this, probably it already closed. Being suspended and probably being hunted by corrupted S.T.A.R.S's highers up, made her couldn't hit S.T.A.R.S office in any branch. Barry already gave her some contact of his friend in other S.T.A.R.S. branches, but she couldn't risk contacting them. She was afraid that maybe there are more traitors in the S.T.A.R.S. than she thought. 

She came back to Carlos's room, made up the bed, washed her face and took her baseball cap and the previous jacket Carlos gave her -because she didn’t wear any bra and didn’t have another _duh_ \- and decided to go to the hospital to treat her wound, search any underwear shop and brought Carlos some food. She was hungry and need real food even though She still felt disgusted with all the zombie things and didn’t have any appetite. But without a proper meal, she couldn’t think straight.

After asking some people nearby, she went to the nearest hospital. She went to the ICU because she thought that the normal process to get medication for her shoulder would risk her: the nurse would ask for her ID card and asking about her insurance. Not to mention the t-virus and its vaccine on her blood that still out of question. Only Rebecca who could take and test her blood with her condition now.

She walked to the ICU door and saw a nurse standing in front of the nearest desk.

“Can I help you, ma'am?”

“I got a hole in my shoulder, 3 days ago. I guess it’s getting worse.”

The nurse was shocked, “How could that happen?”

“Well my house was burning, and a pipe went through my shoulder. I already cleaned and bandaged it but it’s really hurt now.”

“Please take a seat here.” Jill sat in the empty hospital bed, and the nurse gestured her to open her shirt. Jill only showed the nurse her right shoulder by sliding the upper head part to the right. The nurse helped her to open the bandage and took an examination of it and then darted at her face and her wound 3 times.

She gulped, “With this wound, you need surgery, ma’am. The wound diameter is around 5 cm, and it's quite deep. You can register and follow the administrative process to the receptionist over there. You have to do a blood test and other tests before the surgery though. I'm fascinated that you can survive for 3 days with this wound.”

“I really want to do that, but my wallet was burning along with my ID card. I can’t afford to pay for surgery too. That’s why I came to ICU. Please just give stitches the wound, give some pain killer, and maybe some antibiotics.” Jill pleading.

“Do you have any insurance that can cover your bill?”

“No.”

The nurse was confused too. It was her job to follow the hospital procedure. But she couldn’t help Jill while she didn’t have any money nor insurance yet she can't let Jill's wound.

She then left Jill alone for a moment and brought a doctor with her. She told him Jill's situation.

The doctor was a tall man, with a rectangle glasses that cover his blue eyes, with slick black hair, broad shoulder, stunning enough for a doctor. He leaned closer to see her wound.

“Ma’am, you need surgery.”

“I can’t doc. Can’t afford it.”

He locked his gaze with Jill.

“Look, ma’am, the wound could infect you.”

“Look doc, the surgery is another word for stitches the wound, right? The difference is that it should follow the hospital procedure. I can't afford to follow the procedure. I won't force you to help me pay for my medication. Just please, help me to stitches this fast, and give me an antibiotic and a pain killer.” Jill felt annoyed.

The doctor and the nurse looked at each other and left Jill again. After a moment they brought suturing supplies. He sat in front of Jill. “As per your request and situation, I will give you a local anesthetic, so while I clean and stitches your wound, you will stay awake and feel real pain. Do you understand this risk?”

“Yup, just do that.”

The Doctor started the ‘little surgery’. Jill struggled to hold the urge to scream, she just clenched her jaw and fists while closing her eyes on the process. _Patience Jill, it’s only a wound, no big deal, it’s not like you’re going to die._

* * *

“Well, it’s done, ma’am.”

Jill opened her eyes and peeked her shoulder. She felt better already, knew that her wound got proper medication even though it was hurt more than when the Nemesis pierced her shoulder with its tentacles.

“If you have any problem with your wound, don’t mind to come to ICU again. Now you should take your medicines, don’t forget to drink that, take the pain killer when you really need it, and please change your bandages at least once a day. Take your medicine in the left counter of the receptionist over there, and here is your bill. I hope this will be cheap enough for you.”

“Thank you, doctor…?”

“Doctor Tompkins. I’ll see you around ma’am. Hopefully, there won’t be any pipe or anything that will pierce your shoulder anymore.” He gave her a smile and a wink then left her.

Jill took the bill and quite surprised with -soon to be paid- bill. _It still expensive, cheap my ass._ _Wonder_ _how homeless people get health care with this._ _I feel gratitude while having a risky job_ like in _S.T.A.R.S_ , _I got_ _insurance to cover unexpected situations._ _Hell yeah, It's pointless now cause_ _I can't use it. I_ _wish everything could get back into normal. W_ _ish my ass, Jill!_ She thought and felt annoyed at the same time.

After took her medicine and paid the bill, she left the hospital as soon as possible. It took 1/5 of her money to pay for the hospital bill. She got a headache now because of her financial situation. With a few bucks in her hand, she also needed to shop for other clothes, because her only clothes were dirty (and not proper enough), and she couldn’t ask Carlos to lend her money. She assumed that it would take another 2/5 or 3/5 of her money to buy new clothes. She decided to stay in the city for a couple of days while recovering from her injury and waiting for updates from Barry and Chris. She could risk going to Austria with her current state, but it would be a suicide plan for her: they could be anywhere to cover themselves, she wouldn't have any money after buying the flight ticket, and the worst, she could end up to be homeless American in Austria. She regretted paying her apartment rent near RPD fully because she only used it for 5 days. She assumed that her money in the wallet would last for at least two months while only eat instant noodles. The last time she took the money from the ATM recklessly, the Umbrella sent her Nemesis to kill her. She wouldn’t dare do that anymore. Her only option was to find a new job.

* * *

She remembered the way to Carlos’s apartment she saw a bakery shop across a family diner that put ‘help wanted’ board on its window. Jill went to the diner first to have some proper meal (even it only burger, fries, and milkshake though) and buy some for Carlos. After that, Jill walked toward to the Bakery Shop and opened the door.

“Sorry, the shop hasn’t opened yet till tomorrow morning.” Said a normal middle-aged woman, around her 40s, who has wavy blonde hair, and motherly face, wore an orange cardigan.

“Um, I just saw a help wanted board on the window. Does the position still available?”

“Of course, dear. Do you interested to fill the position? Mostly being my assistant, as a baker and probably clean up around the shop.”

“I have some experiences baking bread and cakes with my father but I’m not a professional. Maybe I can be a professional cleaner.”

She chuckled, “Okay you got a job.”

Jill stared at her blankly, “That’s it? You don’t need to see my resume or interview me more?”

“You interested in the job, you've got a willingness and you got a job. Simple right?”

Jill still stared at her, blinked her eyes, still felt unbelievable.

“I barely opened this shop for 2 days and still arrange everything. The day after tomorrow will be the grand opening of this shop. So I need help from people as soon as possible. By the way, I’m Elsa. What yours, young lady?” She offered her hands to Jill.

“Kimberly, Kimberly Sampsel. Just call me Kim.” Jill took her hand then shook it.

“Well miss Kim, your work starts tomorrow. Come here at 9 a.m, we need to arrange all of this stuff and maybe if we had enough time, prepare for some bread and some cake. Don’t be late.”

“Well thank you, Elsa. I promised you I won’t be late. Anyway, do you know maybe there are any clothes shops nearby? I barely know the city.”

“Just follow this street, at the end of the street, you could find a department store. And please note, don’t wear any kind of clothes you wear today for work.”

Jill laughed, “Don’t worry I won’t.”

Following the short interview, Jill walked again around the street. Luckily, she managed to buy some normal clothes and some set of underwear. She also didn’t forget to buy some makeup. She almost never wears any makeup, not to mention she would be laughed off by all the S.T.A.R.S members in the office, and she got used to it.

 _Well,_ _it's time for a new Jilly._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My mom told me that back then, there are so many kind people, they have a different level of empathy, totally different with people now like how the cashier react when Jill told him about her house. Besides it's so easy to get a job back then without needing a degree hahha :")


	3. A Tragedy Could Bring Some Opportunities

_Auch, damn…_  
Carlos woke up from his deep sleep. There wasn’t any adrenaline left. His ribs pain became a reality. He looked around the room, the sun already shining bright to his apartment window, and walked toward his room to check his alarm -the only clock he had beside his watch that he put on the table in the bedroom- and saw it was already 11 a.m. He sat at his bedside and tried to remember what happened for past days.

 _Got first field operation, saw all squads died, met Jill, escaped from walking dead apocalypse, a monster that hunting Jill, and escaped from the nuke missile… Jill, where is she?_  
With the silence in his apartment, he presumed that Jill was outside. He stepped out to the kitchen to see if there were anything to eat. He noticed some foods on the counter, there was a cold burger, fries, pieces of bread, and fruits, that probably bought by Jill yesterday. There was also a note on the counter.

_I've got a job, a baker assistant in Kake Bakery, it was in front of the family diner, on Everett street._   
_Got you some food. Actually, those are yesterday's foods, hope you can still eat it._   
_Don’t forget to check your ribs to the hospital, it’s going to be hell for you if you ignore it._   
_I’m going to hit the city library, I’ll come home late._   
_Jill._

  
Carlos put the note back on the counter.

 _Right. Need to check to the hospital. But it couldn’t hurt if I check this first to the U.B.C.S’s infirmary right? After that maybe check Jill with her new job._  
He then ate some foods on the counter, took a fast bath, and prepared himself to go to U.B.C.S. infirmary.

* * *

  
Carlos opened the main building door, it was a small office beside the warehouse. As what he being told, the infirmary was near an open field, in case there were any injury soldiers when trained in the open field.  
Carlos knocked on the infirmary door, and someone inside told him to come in.  
“Do you need anything?”  
“Yes. I guess my ribs broken or maybe fractured. Could you check it and maybe give me some pain killer?”  
“Sure, please take a sit.” Carlos then sat in the examination chair and undress his shirt.  
“What’s your name? I need to take and check your medical record first.”  
“Carlos, Carlos Oliviera..”  
“Oh! You’re Carlos, the Racoon survivor and the only soldier who successfully save one civilian?” He stared at him fascinatingly.  
 _When he brings it like that, it looks like he mocked me…_ Carlos tried not to scowled. “Yap that’s me…”  
“Wow, it must be tough eh? Totally madness huh?”  
“You won’t believe what I saw there…”  
“No shit man… Rudy told me about it. The infected person who going crazy, and then the explosion of the nuclear reactor. Can’t believe the madness without seeing it with my own eyes.”  
“Wait a minute. It wasn’t a nuclear reactor that destroys Racoon you know. It was a nuke missile!”  
“Didn’t you hit your head or something? Or maybe you are a kind of shock?”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“What I saw from the news yesterday…and still trending now. The news said it was because of a nuclear reactor…”  
Carlos was so speechless. The government tried to cover up the fact about Racoon. He wanted to tell the truth to the doctor now but believed that the doctor would say that he hit his head or just shock. _But I already told Rudy about the missile,_ _did he listen to me or he hides something from me or maybe he just stupid?_ He decided to keep his mouth for now, until he understood the whole situation first.  
“Maybe you right….”  
“I need to run a test for you.”  
The doctor then ran some tests for Carlos: touched his ribs, listened to his lungs when he breathed, and watch his rib cage as his chest went up and down.  
“Let’s get an image of your chest.”  
“Don’t we need to go to the hospital to get x-rays?”  
“Wow as a soldier, you know much about this..”  
“Not all the soldier stupid you know….”  
“Sorry, most of my patients were stupid enough to understand this stuff. Don’t worry we don’t need to go to the hospital, we have enough equipment to do that here. U.B.C.S. has a hell of modern medical equipment than local hospitals you know. Let’s go to that room.” The doctor then pointed Carlos to go to the room to scan his chest.  
After a moment, he got an image of his chest. Carlos who already sat in the examination chair waited for the doctor to say something to him.  
“Well, you’ve got 2 fractures ribs on the top right side of your rib cage. Usually, this will heal on their own in one or two months.”  
“I see. Well, don’t you need to wrap my ribs?”  
“You mean using compression wraps for you? Compression wraps aren't recommended for broken ribs anymore because they can keep you from breathing deeply, which can increase the risk of pneumonia. Just don’t do any activities that mostly would hurt you, put ice on the pain area if necessary and I’ll give you acetaminophen or ibuprofen.”  
Carlos's mouth half-opened, but then the doctor cut him.  
“It’s a pain killer. And I’ll make a note that, you should get enough rest before join another field operation.”  
“I see.”  
“It was a good thing that you come here. The hospital will charge you an amount of money you know...”  
“Yes. It’s good things, especially when it’s free…” Carlos then took his shirt and put it on, the doctor was going to another door, then gave Carlos the pain killer.  
“By the way, do you know where I need to give my operation report to? My squad’s leader didn’t survive the Racoon nuclear. I barely join U.B.C.S…”  
“Hmm, I guess you can go to HR division, ask for the detail. The office is next to the cafeteria.”  
“I see. Thank you for a treat my ribs doc. Ah sorry, I even didn’t ask you for your name, where is my manner…”  
“No worries. Call me Phin.”  
“Well thank you, Phin. Don’t you mind if I come again, for another pain killer perhaps?”  
“Sure Carlos.”

* * *

Closed the door, Carlos then went to the HR division office. But he couldn’t find anyone there, so he chose to stay for a while in Cafetaria. He didn’t plan to eat something, but he saw Rudy sat in one of the chairs. He walked toward Rudy.  
“Hey, Rudy. May I seat in?”  
Rudy turned around to see Carlos who took a seat beside him, “Sure Carlos. So what are you doing here?”  
“Well need to go to the HR office. I should have to give my report about the last operation. But without my squad’s leader, whom I should give my report to?”  
“Platoon leader?”  
“Platoon leader Mikhail Viktor had passed away….”  
“Oh damn…”  
Silence filled the air. Rudy then broke the silence.  
“Based on what I heard, because of the loss of the entire platoons, the HR team got a headache. They went to the Umbrella office in D.C yesterday. One of them told me that they will go for a week or a month, umm I am not sure to hear it clearly, to clear this problem, or maybe recruit new squadrons.”  
“They could fix this problem by phone or email right?”  
“More than half of the U.B.C.S. soldiers died in Racoon. It can’t be fixed just by phone or email I guess.”  
“Hmm, I see. What do you think, what should I do then?”  
“Wait for the HR to call you maybe? I don’t know. Or maybe you can start to write your report just in case the higher-ups ask you. Have you done it before?”  
“Of course not, go to Racoon was my first field operation.”  
“I’ll help you. Rudy come to save the day!”  
“Well, I’m glad I meet you today. And thank you for the info though. Totally save my time to ask anyone about it. But don’t you have any other things to do?”  
“Nah, the HR had gone, no more platoon leader or squad leader, no one will order me around. Nothing to do for a while, just waiting in the communication room. So tell me the details about what happened in Racoon.”  
“People got some kind of infection that made them behave weirdly, then I ran away, met Kimberly, you met her yesterday and then escaped the city before the nuclear reactor explode.”  
“That’s it? I want the details man!”  
“I’ll tell you the details while you helping me create the report”. Carlos chuckled. _Weird, he didn’t even argue about the nuclear reactor. I remembered clearly that I told him about a nuke missile. Something is going on here._  
Between lost in thought and fakely chuckled in front of Rudy, He noticed a woman who sat in the corner of the cafeteria was staring at him. He stared her back, but she avoided him, stood up, and walked away toward the cafeteria door. Rudy saw Carlos stared at the woman.  
“She’s Birta. I don’t know how to spell her long name though. Rumors said that she’s one of the best hackers of U.B.C.S. had, even she only joined for 2 months. But no one ever talks to her. So can’t confirm it though.”  
“Is she playing hard to get?”  
“Perhaps. She’s definitely the most beautiful woman I ever met in U.B.C.S. I want to ask her out, but I don’t have enough courage because she’s taller than me.”  
Carlos gave him a smirk, “It will be trending to date a woman who taller than a man in the future. Don’t worry, I’ll be your wingman then.”  
Rudy laughed, “Promise me or I won’t help you to make your first report.”  
“A real man never breaks his promise. So how’d you get all this juicy information?”  
“You don’t know? I am the best informant in the U.B.C.S.”  
Carlos laughed. _Maybe I can dig some information about U.B.C.S. from him then…._  
“Uh-huh. So when we will create the report?”  
“We have much time to kill. Wanna start now?”

* * *

  
It was already at 3 p.m. After learned how to fill some reports, Carlos determined to go home. The pain of his ribs wouldn’t compromise with him. Took some rest would be appropriate for him. He took a walked from the office to his apartment, and remembered he would come to visit Jill. He stood in front of the Kake Bakery and saw the board that showed the shop was closed. Confused, he turned around, and someone called him.  
“Carlos.”  
He searched where the sound came from and saw Jill in front of the bakery’s door. She wore jeans, pink sweaters, and black sneakers. She looked more comfortable with what she wore.  
“Jill. Umm, you look different, and you change your hair color.”  
“Yap.” She remembered what Rudy had said to her about her sense of fashion. Albeit she bought cheap clothes, at least it should be comfy and stylish.  
“It fits you. Never thought you can wear makeup.” Carlos winked.  
Jill blushing and tried to change the subject, “Shut up…. Have you go to the hospital yet?”  
“I went to the infirmary in the office. Glad that I had only two fractures here. Have you go to the hospital?”  
“Yes. I got some antibiotics and pain killers too.”  
“You should get some rest though. It looks like you have unlimited energy.”  
Jill chuckles, “Better keeping myself busy or I become mad by doing nothing. Anyway, the shop will be opened tomorrow, it’s grand opening though. Don’t forget to come, there will be so much discount for the stuff.”  
“Well never hurt to get some discount stuff. By the way, there something I want to discuss about Rudy and Racoon too. But I guess I’ll tell you later when you are home. Finish your job and come home soon. Catch up with you later.” Carlos gave him a warm smile, and then walked away, left her alone in the front door.  
Jill turned her heels and then opened the door.  
“Who is him, Kim? Your boyfriend?”  
Jill smiled, “A dear friend who saved my life multiple times.”

* * *

  
On her way to Carlos’s apartment, Jill went to a convenient store close to Kake’s to buy some beers. She thought that after her hard work in Kake’s beer could chill her mood. She missed the warm feeling when someone waiting for her to come home. The last time she felt it was before her father incarcerated. He would wait for her at home after school before they do their stealing ‘mission’. But this feeling totally different, Jill couldn’t understand what kind of warm feeling she felt. A weird and a new one for her.

  
Elsa was so kind to her: paid her after worked directly, ordered her respectfully, and patiently teach her the basics of making bread and cake. Elsa worked along with her sister, Anna to opened the Kake’s, so basically it was three of them to arrange and prepare for everything tomorrow. Elsa had 7 years old twin sons who nicely sat and played computer games in the room beside the kitchen shop. Jill planned to borrow the computer to check and send email to Barry and Chris -if it had an internet connection-, but she wouldn’t want to do it immediately. She couldn’t risk being labeled as someone who uses Elsa’s kindness. She determined to try it after the shop closed tomorrow.

  
Carlos had been reading a book on the couch when Jill came to his apartment.   
“Hey, Jill.”  
“Hey” Jill then took a seat beside Carlos, handed him some beers.  
“Good way to end the day after work huh? So what’s your next plan?” He took one beer and drank it.  
“To be honest, I don’t know. I haven’t contact Barry yet. So I will work for a while in Kake’s……There is a computer in Kake’s, hope it has an internet connection though. I went to the public library before coming here, but it already closed too. With my work hour now, it will be hard for me to go to the library.” Jill was brushing her hair while thinking. She determined to take some risk to take money from the bank before going to Austria after got the info where Barry and Chris stay. At least, with her having a job now, she could eat properly and saving some money for the next flight.  
“You could go to U.B.C.S to access the internet.”  
“Not going to risk it. Especially there's Rudy there.”  
“Right…Anyway, have you read or watch the news recently, about Racoon?"  
“Yeah, the news said that Racoon destroyed because of a nuclear reactor explosion right? So even the government tried to hide the truth about Racoon.”  
“Did you remember that I told Rudy how Racoon was destroyed? I remember correctly that I told him it was destroyed because of a nuke missile. But when I met him in the office and told him it was destroyed because of a nuclear reactor, he didn’t argue with me. Something sound fishy right?”  
Jill turned her head to face Carlos, “He could simply forget about what happened yesterday right?”  
“But with the chaos that happened yesterday, he should be remembered at least…Anyway you know the U.B.C.S’s office will be quite empty with people for a week or maybe a month. I could snoop around to get some handy information for you regarding the Racoon or Umbrella. Well, I’m not tech master or whatsoever to hack the main data from U.B.C.S, but Rudy had told me that he was the best informant in U.B.C.S, so it would never hurt to dig information from him.”  
Jill locked her gaze with Carlos, “What do you get for helping me, Carlos?” Jill asked him out of curiosity while crossed her arm over her chest. Carlos already saves her lives, and now he would help her to get some information about Umbrella.  
“I know this is your battle against Umbrella Jill, not mine, not yet. My situation said otherwise, I still need to stay in U.B.C.S….for my family until I get another job. But I know deep down I don’t want to work with an evil corporation…. Let say that I will help your battle, a half time helper. After all, we can use the situation now on U.B.C.S. Not to mention steal some ammo, or a handgun.” Carlos gave her a confident smile. "At least I do not feel fully guilty to stay for a while in U.B.C.S"  
“Then I’ll try to collect data about Umbrella from the news or anything until getting the info from Barry...I hope I could find some leads.” Jill sighed.  
“I should scout on the U.B.C.S. office first. Just to make sure our steal mission goes smoothly..”  
“I thought you already now all the rooms in your office.”  
“Almost 2 weeks here, and I never know where they put their surveillance cameras.”  
“You know, for a moment, I thought you will say you do this because you are falling in love me...Like a cheap scene in the movies.” Jill reply with a mischievous smile and a light punch to his arm. She tried to lighten up the mood.  
“So if I tell you, I’ll do this because I'm falling in love with you, what will be your response?”   
“Really, you’re kidding right?”  
“So that will be your response.”  
“Oh shut up!” Jill gave him two light punch.  
“Stop, stop, my ribs..”   
“I don’t even touch your rib.” She puts her hands in the air.  
Carlos chuckled and locked his gaze with Jill’s. It was so warm that she couldn’t let it go. For a moment, it seemed that the time had stopped.  
“The way you talked, make me remember my older sister.”  
 _A way to kill the mood huh Carlos? So he thought that I look like her sister....great so great._  
Jill signed and looked away for a moment and the turned her head to Carlos again. “Do you know any laundry service nearby? I need to wash my old and new clothes.”  
“Yes. Let’s go together. Can’t let my stink uniform stay in the basket too long..”

* * *

It was a morning Sunday for the grand opening of Kake's. Jill, Elsa, and Anna were not expected that the shop would be crowded with people. Anna was the cashier, Elsa busy baking while Jill helped Elsa to restock the bread or cake to the bread shelf and display cases. Jill did her best to smile to all the customers albeit some of them not patient enough to wait for paying their stuff or simply waiting for her restocking the bread or cakes. 

_Never thought this kind of job Is tiring as hell. Never waste any bread or cake anymore. Never underestimate any job anymore._ Thought Jill, tired.

It almost at 3.30 p.m when no more bread or cakes to sell. Kake provides two long tables with 8 chairs in order for customers could eat fresh-baked bread or cakes. There were 4 customers who still stay at Kake. Jill waited for Carlos but He never shows up to the stop. Sighed, she believed that Carlos still in deep sleep. She understood that it would be so tiring for his brain and body to process everything that happened in the Racoon city.

When Jill cleaned up one of the long tables, there were two customers who stared at her. She noticed they were staring at her until one of them asked Jill.

"Miss, there's something wrong with your right shoulder." He pointed to her shoulder.

Jill then looked at her right shoulder and surprised that there was a big bloodstain in her blue 3/4 sleeve tunic tops. She tried to be as calm as possible. She thanked the customer and then rushed to the toilet. There was someone in the toilet, Jill waited while watching her shoulder until someone stepped out from the toilet, and he stopped in front of her and glared at her bloodstain. 

"It's from your wound right? I guess from the open stitches?"

She saw where the sound came from, and it was from the doctor that treated her in the hospital.

"Good things I always bring my mini suture tools. Let's check your wound".

"What's happening?" Elsa also noticed the bloodstain so she came along to check Jill after she heard the customers talked about her. 

"Ma'am can we moved to a room away from your customers? I guess this young lady needs to check her wound."

Confused, Elsa then showed the way to where his twin sons always play computer. Jill was asked to sit to the near sofa across from the computer table.

"Let me see your wound." said the doctor.

Because of her tunic, it was hard for her to slide her shoulder part to the doctor. She got no choice, but to undress. Good thing that Elsa didn't bring the twins to the shop right now. 

The doctor and Elsa suddenly were speechless for a moment. They were shocked to see not only a wound but also so many purple bruises and tiny-but many-cuts on her body.

"Oh dear, did someone abuse you or something?" Elsa gasped, half-closed her mouth.

Jill totally forgot about the bruises and the cuts. But nothing she could do except to continue lying to them.

"Of course not Elsa, don't worry. My house burned. There was some debris from the roof, I tried to avoid those, but I guess some of them got me."

"What about the wound?" Elsa then asked her again.

"A pipe pierced her shoulder. How bad was it burned?" the doctor said it without expression.

"It was so bad. Nothing left."

"When did this happen? So where are you live now? You said two days ago you're barely now this area right?" asked Elsa more curiously than sympathy.

"I lived in the suburban, move there since 6 months ago. Never visit the city. The fire happened around 4 days ago, and I live at my friend's house now. And this doctor treated me 2 days ago."

"That's why there are so many bruises, even on your beautiful face. I thought you just have a bad day when you come here first...How come this happened doctor? You didn't do your job perfectly, try to fix it!" Suddenly Elsa became angry with the doctor. 

"Well, you should take a rest, not to work hard while having a big wound like this. Especially not having any money to do another surgery." The doctor scowling. "Anyway, I haven't asked this in the hospital. Don't you have any family here to pick you up or something? You have a serious situation."

Both Elsa and the doctor glared at Jill. Jill took a long breath and gave a fake weak smiled to them.

"My family has moved to Austria 2 years ago. So I couldn't reach them with my current situation except with email, not to mention they don't have any cell phone and moved a lot...."

"I have an internet connection, email them right now Kim!" Jill confused why Elsa was so panicked and angry because of her situation. 

"Okay before you do that let me check your wound first." He then opened her bandage, cleaned up her wound with some alcohol from Elsa's first aid kit, stitches it again, and put some bandage again.

"Glad the stitches only opened a bit. Try to avoid lift something heavy. And for your bruises...."

"Don't worry, I guess it's getting better now, already put some ointment."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Kim." Elsa took Jill's hands, gesturing she was sorry to put Jill in the situation.

"Don't worry Elsa, it was my responsibility to do all the job you gave to me. Besides I am being paid right?" Jill chuckled and gave her a warm smile. "Thank you, doctor Tompkins."

"Just call me Edward, I'm not on duty now. Don't worry I won't charge you for the stitches."

"You better not doc, it's called humanity helping people in a hard situation!" Elsa then gave him a skeptic glared.

Edward just laughed, "Don't worry ma'am. I know that."

 _For some reason, this incident was a good thing though. I got the access to send an email to Barry from Elsa's computer and I get a free treatment. Never thought a tragedy could bring some opportunities._ Jill thought for a moment and smiled to herself.

* * *

 **September 30th, 1998**  
So, I decided to record this…. My name is Birta Sunneva Hilmirdóttir, 20 years old. I graduated from Computer Forensics Major in a decent university, well it’s not important to tell it here, but I’m proud of it. I have worked for U.B.C.S for 2 months. Got major position here as one of the main hackers in this city, well it’s just me alone in this position by the way. The previous main hacker has resigned I guess? And guess what? Now also I want to resign from this company as soon as possible……… I just want to show Papi that a woman can be successful at work, not only stay at home to take care of her husband and children. But now I understand, maybe he was true. I should just stay at home, waiting for someone to marry me……. You won’t believe what I saw. Its zombie's apocalypse that happened in Racoon City! I couldn’t handle this madness. Oh, am I going to be crazy? Breathe Birta, breathe...... So, what’s the point of this video, I don’t know either! I can’t tell anyone what I was witnessing, too afraid to tell them. What if they don't believe me?........ Maybe if someone finds out why I am dying, which is probably dying because of shock, well this video could tell about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love frozen movies so much, and yeah I dint have any idea for the characters' names, or maybe too lazy to think. Please note that English isn't my first language, I need to recheck dozens time for the plot and the grammar:") Well enjoy the chapter folks.  
> Anyway, i always love to see some asian mothers' reactions (and mostly my mom) when someone gets hurt. Panic for nothing, but it was a warm reaction tho, it shows how much they care with someone else business. lol


	4. You're Being Watched Part 1

It was almost 2 months since Jill had not received any email from Barry or Chris. She checked the email every day after she had done her work at Kake. Elsa was kind enough to lend her the computer if the twins didn’t use it. She already felt hopeless, maybe they have ditched her from the mission or, worst, dead. She made sure that she sent the email, she already sent it 7 times, the same email:

_I live at my friend’s place for a while._

_Let me know where are you staying._

_Reply to this email ASAP._

She remembered that after Rebecca went to Caliban Cove with David – Captain S.T.A.R.S from Maine branch and Barry’s old friend who tried to investigate the Umbrella- Barry suggested Chris and her go to the public library in the Racoon and made a new email address. They were being watched by anyone who wanted them to be killed. The email address should not professional as possible – teenager style kind of email address name- Anyone who read the email address would probably laugh, and Chris had the weirdest one. They could contact each other, included contact Rebecca and David with those email addresses. The last time Rebecca and David contact them, was from the email David sent to Barry to inform him that they need to stay low for a while, and the mission to the Caliban Cove failed. Barry also told Jill, never mention about Racoon or Umbrella or something that would attract anyone -even the email provider- when she wanted to email Barry or Chris. He was worried that someone would hack the email provider. _Yap, he worried too much_.

Eventually, she was no longer excited to get the information from Barry nor Chris. Worried, angry, sad, and frustrated, it was all mixed feelings that couldn’t be express anymore. One week passed after the Racoon incident, she decided to move to the apartment near Kake. Anna offered her to rent the apartment that used to be her friend's apartment, and it was cheaper than rent in Carlos’s place. At first, she didn’t plan to move from Carlos’s apartment, believing after sending an email to Barry or Chris, they would reply to it as soon as possible. But her email had never been replied. She was also hoping to get some unexpected information from Trent – a mysterious man who gave her a hint about spencer mansion that help her to solve the puzzle there- but it never came too.

On the other hand, she couldn’t let Carlos sleep on the couch every night, yet she didn’t want to let her personal feeling to him getting stronger. They had known each other only for less than a month, but Carlos was tender to her, he was someone she always hoped to be her supporter, -a high chance of life partner. But assuming that she was still on her mission to take down Umbrella, she couldn't tolerate personal feelings, let alone her deep feeling toward Chris. She never forgot how close that she and Chris became after Arklay incident, the warm embraced and -almost-a kissed -Barry interrupted them- Chris gave her before He and Barry left her in Racoon city. She thought maybe it was just a fling or gratitude feeling toward Carlos that aways help her in this situation, or maybe love, she couldn't make sure of it.

It was a way more complicated for her. She needed an escape from her feeling toward Chris, Carlos, Umbrella, Racoon, and everything. Funny, she was getting closer to Edward Tompkins, the sarcastic doctor who came to the Kake almost every day after the bloodstain accident albeit Elsa always snarky toward him.

The plan she and Carlos made before, was crumbling. Carlos found all the surveillance cameras in the U.B.C.S office, but as Rudy said, it was possible that there were hidden surveillance cameras. Carlos could know all the cameras by breaking through the monitoring room, but it always locked, and big possibility, he had to face Birta whom work at the monitoring room. Carlos wouldn’t risk stealing any ammo or guns in the armory too, not to mention it was locked with a passcode, and Rudy was following him around like a poult. He also didn't get any important information from him, just office gossips.

Jill finally asked Carlos to stop trying to find information about Umbrella or Racoon incident or nasty facts about U.B.C.S. It was pointless because Carlos had not got any important data for her. Moreover, if he continued, Rudy would be suspicious to him and Jill hated the idea that it looked like she was using him.

Jill had a second thought. If this destined for her, to be a baker or get another normal job, living without her real identity, give up her battle with Umbrella, she would finally get a calmer life. It was sound selfish, but without any leads, and try to avoid people around her getting hurt, maybe this is the life that she needed the most. The reality hit her, she had gathered information about Umbrella as much as she could, yet only good news about them. They were so big, so powerful, and she knew that it was almost impossible for her and her friends to take down Umbrella. It was also possible for the government around the world to be bribed by them. She totally fed up with the situation and just wants to run away from her real problem.

_Power and money always win the war._

* * *

“Kake’s Bakery, can I help you” Jill answered the phone at the Kake.

No one replied from the other side.

“Hello….?”

The only answer she got only silence.

“Weird.” She then hung up the phone.

“Who?” Asked Anna while counting the money for the cash register.

“I don’t know. I hope it will be from another company that will ask us to serve cakes for their company event.”

“Hmm yeah. But the last event was a total hit! Glad we could serve 500 of muffins on time. Tiring, but love the money. Cha-ching...Cha-ching..”

Jill chuckled, “I guess I’m done for today. My date is waiting for me.”

“Thank you, Kim. Have a nice day”. Anna gave her a bright smile.

“Be careful with the doctor!” Elsa popped her head from the kitchen door, shouting at Jill.

Jill gave them a wave and walked toward the door. Someone outside Kake was waiting for her. After Jill closed the door, He hurried to take Jill's right hand and put it in his arm.

“What took you so long? I’m hungry and cold.”

“Do my beautiful face won’t stop your stomach growl?”

He smirked, “Haha funny. Of course, it’s not. But seeing your face totally will brighten my mood.”

“Damn. That was so smooth.”

“Let’s go, can’t afford another time before my shift in hospital”.

Winter was coming up. Jill and Edward having a date before his shift in the hospital. It was officially their first date after Jill agreed to go out with him. Edward was totally her teenage dream man, a doctor -stable job- broad shoulder, calm, taller than her, sarcastic but honest, attractive, and not related to saving the world thing. Edward was not a type who dug someone else past -what she believed- a man who lived in the present and the future. After having dinner in a decent restaurant, Edward escorted Jill to her apartment.

“I hope I will have another date with you.”

“Can’t promise you that.” Jill grinning.

“How about if I do this...” Edward cupped her cheeks and gave her a sweet kiss.

“Hmm let me think about it.”

“All right, I should go. See you later?”

Almost 2 months waiting for nothing and a kiss make her a little bit happy. She thought she seriously should consider a normal life.

* * *

“Kake’s Bakery, can I help you?” Jill answered the phone at the Kake.

No one replied from the other side.

“Hello….?”

The only answer she got only silence. It’s been 2 weeks since she got an empty call like that.

“If you just want to prank us, please do it to other shops.”

“Jillian Adriana Valentine…”

Jill couldn't respond immediately. Her heart started to beat faster.

“I’m sorry, Kake’s Bakery, there isn’t anyone name Jillian here..”

“Professional thief daughter, Brice Dickeson Valentine, aka Dick Valentine.”

Jill didn’t respond, gulping.

“Racoon survivor and S.T.A.R.S. members.”

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“You’re being watched by Umbrella.”

Jill was shocked. Nothing came out from her mouth.

“Now I’m waiting in your apartment rooftop if you want to know the details.” The phone was hung up.

Jill became panic. She ever considered that Umbrella could probably watch her. _But why after almost two months? Why not as soon as I stay in the city? Why they never come after me?_

"Who is it, Jill? Why you look so tense?" Anna asked her, concerned.

Jill took a deep breath and walked toward Anna, “Anna, sorry I should come back home now. Something urgent happened. I’ll tell you the details later.” Jill said, then she rushed to her apartment.

* * *

When she arrived at the rooftop, she already took her Barretta in her room, fully loaded, and prepared herself with a fighting stance, in case someone would leap to her, or shoot her. She only saw a beautiful English-African woman in her 20s, with her curly hair being tied, wore a black hoody covered with a long brown coat, probably taller than her, sat near the apartment fence holding her laptop. 

“Never thought you will make it this fast.” her accent was totally not American.

Jill walked toward her, still with her fighting stance, “Who are you?”

“U.B.C.S hacker, I’m Birta. I come in peace.”

“What do you want?”

“Well, you owe your life to me.”

Jill frowned, “How?”

“Umbrella has active cameras in the last lab you and Carlos Olivera were around before you escaped from the nuke missile. I successfully stop the system for delivering the live streaming video of you and Carlos to them when you arrive at U.B.C.S.'s office.”

Jill sighed, regret her decision to come to this city. She should just ask Carlos to drop her off in another city.

“So what? Should I pay you for saving me?”

“Hmm no. But I want to join your forces to defeat Umbrella though.”

Jill stared at Birta speechless for a moment, gave her a quizzical expression. “Why? what this is for you?”

“Stop Umbrella madness in general, and prove myself to my father in particular.”

“Prove yourself? Sounds like a selfish reason.” Jill crossed her arms.

“Look, Jill, I can’t lie how bad to see what happened in the Racoon. Total madness. On the other hand, supporting Umbrella would soon make my dad's company’s portfolio looks shit too. Somehow it related to support Umbrella nasty business.” Birta shrugged.

“What do you mean by that? I don’t get it.”

Birta sighed, “Okay I’ll explain, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not like I want to show off or something. So you better take a seat.” 

Jill groaned and sat 2 meters from Birta, kept her distance. "Hmpp okay..”

“My family owned the oldest tech company in the world if you ever heard, it’s Gunner Corporation. We build every single component and computer system from the very beginning of human age. Almost every government and corporation in the world use my family computer system including Umbrella. Here’s the problem, Papi is a sexist, always believes a woman should stay at home and doesn't need to work, and worst, he believes that I can’t be his company successor. He doesn’t know that I learned all of afi -grandfather- and his creation. So I want to prove his computer system has weaknesses, screwing up his mighty creation, and rub it to his face. To do that, I need to work in the Umbrella Group, the biggest company group which uses his devices and the most updated system services. Somehow I made to work at Umbrella affiliate, to be the main hacker in U.B.C.S in this city….”

“What a long introduction..and you are not assigned to Umbrella HQ, but not bad.” Jill leaned forward, put her chin on her right palm, looked bored.

Birta rolled her eyes, “Let me continue. On 22 September, my supervisor randomly asked me if I could hack the Umbrella Lab’s camera system in Racoon and wanted to watch it. This camera system gave Umbrella live streaming of what happened in all lab in Racoon. Luckily, Umbrella had planned hidden cameras not only in the lab, but also almost around the corner of Racoon city, and they were using my family system. It was too easy for me to hack it until I watched everything that really happened in Racoon, from a riot, police blockade, until zombies attacks."

“So your supervisor also watched everything that happened in Racoon, together with you?”

“I'm not sure." Birta scratching his head. "He just watched some of it because he disappeared a lot, looked not that interested in the situation. Then I saw you, went in and out to the RPD, running from place to another place to save some civilians, although, in the end, your efforts were wasted, they died stupidly facing some zombies, maybe they thought the zombies still human. I had assumed, with the way you held the gun, you're one of the police, although you weren't wearing any uniform. After that, I was keeping my tab on you. Eventually, I hacked the RPD system and saw there were only 10 policewomen in RPD, and who has short hair, were you and someone called Rebecca. You both Racoon S.T.A.R.S. But judging the way you fighting the zombies, I knew it was you Jillian, not Rebecca. She was a newbie in Racoon S.T.A.R.S. right?"

"You told him about me?"

"No, I thought you just another normal police who tried to save the civilians. Anyhow, If I remember correctly, on September 27, the situation was getting worse, the RPD was down, zombies everywhere, then I heard from my supervisor that Umbrella would send U.B.C.S to save some civilians." Birta gave a moment to remember. "On September 28, after U.B.C.S’s soldiers being sent there, I thought they could handle the situation, but I saw most of them all dead, except Carlos, and one freaky man who killed some human and zombies along with his way. In the end, he killed by the monster which killed by you anyway."

"Nicholai," Jill muttered.

"I asked my supervisor to do something about the Racoon situation, called the Delta Force or anything, but in the end, without expression at all, he told me that there will be a nuke missile to destroy the city.”

“The government decided to destroy the city before the infection spreading and didn’t want to take any risk by ordering another enforcement to help the situation.”

“Exactly. I remembered that he said about it when September 30.”

“It was possible for you to record the video you’d watched right? It could be great evidence."

“Unfortunately, It was impossible. U.B.C.S don’t have advanced technology to do it though. I could go to my apartment to take some devices, but my supervisor had asked me if I found anything interesting I had to tell him. So I had stayed at the office to watch everything. Moreover, watched the chaos, I couldn't sleep and think clearly. I was too panicked to do something until I saw you again after disappeared for 3 days, together with Carlos, running and fighting some zombies. Then you guys disappeared again for two days after a monster with tentacles pierced your shoulder. Funny, this monster only chased after you. You guys finally running to the lab and fighting the tentacled monster with a big laser gun and fleed with the ‘copter. I believed from the moment Umbrella and my supervisor watched what happened in Racoon, especially your crazy-hero-act things, they totally have their attention on you. Not to add salt of the wound, probably they will soon chase after you. Then a helicopter I recognized suddenly came to the U.B.C.S helipad, I saw you and Carlos, then I turn off all the camera and monitoring system until I believe you were not around U.B.C.S office.”

"Wait a minute. Even Carlos didn't know that Umbrella behind this after I told him. How and why could you conclude that Umbrella is evil?"

Birta looked uncertain. "I don't know, I just got a feeling that Umbrella behind this, let alone Umbrella business was all over the town right? After saw everything in the lab, it was highly possible that Umbrella perhaps doing some human tests, with their labs full of the big tube that fit humans inside, and perhaps it was them who made the zombies virus. Moreover, my supervisor's reaction when watched you fighting the monster though, He was smiling creepily like he got some lottery." She winced. "So are they evil?" Birta tried to confirmed.

"Yes. The destruction of Racoon caused by Umbrella."

Birta sighed. "And you know what? Somewhere in the Racoon, there was another lab, and there were another two monsters who chased after other people. One of the monsters wore a hat and coat, and it was tall like a monster who chased after you, and the other monster was an abomination, formerly a human, an Umbrella scientist. There was another woman who killed the monster with hat."

"Who is this woman?"

"Honestly, I don't know. She just went from anywhere, disappear to nowhere, in the end, she went out of the city, by some kind of underground subway, together with a girl and a policeman."

Jill wondered about this one policeman. "How about the other monsters and the policeman?"

"I saw the monster jumped to the subway, and then I didn't know what happened, because the lab was in the destruction. And for the policeman, I didn't know about him, I couldn't see his face clearly with the quality of surveillance camera." Birta trying to remember something. "But I saw him went to RPD, so did the woman. Then disappeared, the last I saw them they were in the lab."

"Did you see the monster that wore a coat, get out from the lab mega tube?"

"Urghh I don't know, I only have two eyes, I couldn't watch 20 monitors at once." Birta suddenly frustrated, gave Jill intense glared.

Jill crossed her arms over her chest, sighed. “…..Did you get any data regarding what happened in Racoon or you can simply hack their database right?”

“I succeed hacked their camera and monitoring system, not the entire system. What I said before, I could watch Racoon city from the cameras only, couldn't record it. And here’s another problem. I have learned that system data in Umbrella is centralized. The branch office or secret lab can only send data, but never receive any data from another lab or branch office or the HQ. If you want their data, you’ve got 2 choices: hack their data from their HQ or go to every branch or lab to get the data using their private networks. I can't override the data while it was being sent to The HQ too. Papi's new creation, some kind of a computer virus will attack the hacker’s computer if someone tried to hack the entire system or override the sending data. So far, In these past 7 and half weeks, I tried to hack it, but I failed. After finally desperate enough, I decided I came to you to tell you this.”

"How this is still related to your father's business?"

"Perhaps, when Umbrella goes through legal proceedings because of their crimes, they would somehow talk about my father's computer system. It could cause of my father's company's stock decreasing you know. I've got to save it first by showing my dad about Umbrella crimes and stop the partnership between them." 

"Let me make this clear. You need me to HELP you to approach Umbrella by hitting their HQ or labs to take their data and showing that to your father huh?"

"Exactly. You got 100 points." Birta smiled then sighed. "Obviously after got their data, I'll give it to the authorities though."

“How can I believe you’re not lying? Why after almost 2 months you decided to tell me?”

“It’s up to you to believe me or not Jill, but you need to hear this. Nevertheless, I thought that it would be easy for me to hack the Umbrella’s data, but it wasn’t. I tried to do this alone for these past weeks, but you know it was pointless, and I believe you are a big part to take down Umbrella."

Jill gazed at the sky. Thinking. She remembered everything that happened in Racoon since the Arklay incident and when the zombies' attack came. She failed to save the remaining people from the attack and half blamed herself because of it. She could at least try harder, but deep down she knew that she only could control her life, not the whole situation.

“Stop trying Birta. This is the war we can’t win.” Jill sighed.

“Why Jill, fear got your soul? Who are you? Are you sure you are still the same Jillian Adriana Valentine? I thought what you learned from the S.T.A.R.S and delta force is more than this, never give up easily."

Jill felt annoyed, how this snob girl saying something like that to her. She barely knows her. "Don't you know, even some soldiers suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. It's not about to give up easily, it's about to know when you have to stop." Jill took a deep breath. “We can’t win this fight, this is Umbrella, they are too evil-powerful.”

"Bad people will be always around us Jill. But you know what, the world would be a worse place when people who know the truth just keep silent, too afraid and coward to fight bad people. I guess you are one of them."

"Just let the government handle this.." Jill shrugged. 

"I'll tell you what, people who know the solution to the problem but do not do anything to the problem, they just part of the problem. Like you."

"Stop it! You don't know anything about what Umbrella can do! You and people around you could die easily on their hands!" Jill lost her cool.

“You just play it safe, don’t you? Runaway from the truth? You just want to feel good for yourself by leaving this all, don't you?” Birta sneered.

Jill scoffed, “What makes you different with me Birta? You want to do this for your own personal reason, to secure your dad's business from Umbrella bad influence, and to prove him you worth to be his successor right? You just want to feel good for yourself too!"

“We will always do something to make ourselves feel better Jill. Do you think you are helping people or saving the world to make them happy? Absolutely not! The only reason is we are trying to reach things that make us happy or safe the most! We always will be selfish being after all!”

Jill closed her eyes, massaging her temple.

“Even my personal reasons are egomaniac, deep down I do want to make a better world for people. Maybe that won't make them absolutely happy, but I'm sure I will. Don’t you think about this too? Please, Jill, people need us to uncover Umbrella’s crimes. What Umbrella did and do beyond immorality. Shit happens Jill. Eventually, we will die too. At least we tried to uncover the truth and dying with honor."

Jill smirked to what Birta said then frowned. “I want to believe that. But why me? You can find another person who is better than me."

"Because you know how to handle the monster things, and know exactly the truth, the witness. Even until now, you don't have any solid evidence though.." Birta said it with a blank expression.

Jill rolled her eyes, "Seeing our situation, we can't fight them alone. Just two of us crashing Umbrella places? Don't be joking."

“We can regroup with your friends though. Speaking of which, sorry I thwarted your email to your friends…”

“WHAT!? WHAT DID YOU SAY?” Jill yelled.

Birta gave her sour grinned, “Just what I said before, Umbrella is watching you anywhere you went in Racoon. Maybe it was the reason why the monster could find you anywhere. In addition, I believe you don’t know that your email provider, biggest email provider in the world, is Umbrella’s affiliate so that they can know any threat from anyone….”

Jill stared at her in horror, mouth half-opened. She couldn’t believe what Birta said to her. “I thought they were dead, worst ditch me from the mission.” She frowned and staring blankly at the ground.

Birta kept her mouth shut for a while. Watching Jill like this kinda painful.

“To cut the long story short, I had been gathered Racoon S.T.A.R.S. information, from the Arklay incident to Racoon S.T.A.R.S. sudden disappearance, I managed to find yours and your friend 'fake' email address, hack the email provider system, thwarted your email to your friends. Basically, your email had never been sent to them…”

“You know how much I need to know whether they are alive or not! It's fucking make me crazy!” Jill yelled and punched her fist to the ground.

“Wait, there’s still explanation here. I managed to tell your friends to move to another location, change the email provider, not to use the older one, Umbrella-free, and using a new laptop or computer. I needed to convince them for 7 weeks for it. And five days ago, one of your friends, Christopher, send me an email along with his number, in case you need to call him.”

Jill was speechless. When Chris's name was mention, It was like something hit her head so hard.

“I’m sorry, I know I should discuss this with you from the beginning. But even I’m not sure about what I have to do, I was afraid too. I need the courage to meet you, to tell you everything." Birta looked guilty. "So as an apology, you can use my apartment phone to call Christopher. My cell phone can't call internationally..”

Jill stared at Birta’s face. Her expression was mixed with rage, sadness, and a little bit of happiness.

“Okay, an addition to my apology, I can transfer your money from your bank account into, hmm to put it simply, some kind of virtual account, so finally you can use your money again. No more working at the bakery, no more being poor. Tehehehe. How about it?” She glared Jill apologetically, grinning.

Jill buried her face into her hands. She needed to process everything that Birta’s said. She took a deep breath, and face Birta once again.

“Fine. Where is your apartment?”

* * *

Almost 2 months passed and Jill totally changed into another person. She pushed him away. He thought that maybe she avoided him because of their first quarrel: He let Jill slept in his room while he slept on the couch. Jill hated the idea, and as a protest, she deliberately stayed late at Kake or even slept at Kake. One week after that, Jill moved to another place. But now he understood, Jill not only avoided him but also started to give up about fighting Umbrella. No-one contacts her, and it was driving her crazy. Mental breaking moment.

His effort to create a report was totally unuseful, no one in the U.B.C.S asked him about what happened at Racoon. He just wandering around the U.B.C.S office, waiting for the next order, while he was considering resigning at the end of the month. He had been searching for any job that fit him, and if there wasn’t any, he planned to go back to Honduras. Hung out with Rudy didn't give him necessary information about Racoon, Umbrella, or U.B.C.S. Yet, it made a great result, Rudy taught him computer hacking basic. Basically, he was a communication expert but had hacking skills. At first, he thought he lost his opportunity breaking U.B.C.S armory, but with Rudy’s help, he had a hope, not to mention the HR team still at the HQ, the office was quite empty. Hacked the monitoring console, turned off all the surveillance cameras, and invited Jill to steal some guns. Or even better, hacked U.B.C.S’s data.

Carlos was still learning to hack the computer system at the U.B.C.S office, in one of the squad room in the warehouse, alone. Rudy was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a phone on the squad leader desk, beside the computer, ringing.

"Hello."

"I assume this is Carlos Oliviera who is speaking. I've got the information you are wandering in the squad room and waiting for an order. I guess your injury from Racoon operation already recovers."

"Yes sir." Unconsciously, Carlos sat up a little straighter.

"I'm your new Platoon's leader, Wayne Truaxe. You've got a promotion to be a Squad leader, congrats. Anyway it should be the HR division told you this, but they can't make it for a while. Check the fax, there is a new operation for you."

"Is there any info on what kind of situation?"

"Read what's on the fax first. You'll be sent to Paris. Prepared yourself in two days. Understood soldier?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'll tell you the detail when you arrive in Paris." Wayne hung up the phone.

Carlos glanced toward the fax to see what operation that waited for him. He never gets any paper for operation before. He thought maybe because he's now a Squad Leader. The papers come out, he took it and stared.

_UMBRELLA BIOHAZARD COUNTERMEASURE SERVICE_

_Date: November 25th, 1998_

_To: Platoon A, Squad Leader, Carlos Oliviera_

_From: Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service Headquarters_

_Subject: Silent Operation_

_By the order of Umbrella, there are several people who pose a danger to civilians by stealing and hiding bio-organic weapon around the country,_ _with the following details:_

_Objection: Capture (if possible) or Eliminate_

_Code: Red_

_Location: Paris_

_Name of the objects:_

_Christopher_ _Percival Redfield_ , _25 years old, Resident of the USA._

_Bary James Burton, 38 years old, Resident of the USA._

_Noted: They are heavily armed and well-trained soldiers, previously Racoon City S.T.A.R.S. members._

_Date of flight to the location, November 27th, 1998 at 22.00 by using U.B.C.S's personal aircraft at the airport. The details of the operation will be explained later._

  
There were pictures of both of them on the paper. Carlos thought for a while and believed, this was Chris and Barry that Jill had been told him. He took the paper, fold it, and calmly walked toward the office door.

 _I need to tell this to Jill._ His mind actually racing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been hard to explain about the computer system in the story, having a bit of research about it, but it's not enough though. Sorry folks, I was born in the 90s. Too young to understand technology at such a young age:") and totally not into the tech things.  
> Hope you fancy the story hehe.
> 
> I tried to reread this again, and I want to change something because it doesn't make sense lol.


	5. Embrace Your Fear

“I just wonder if there any surveillance cameras install every corner of the city by Umbrella?” Jill asked Birta.

“As far as I know, Umbrella nor U.B.C.S not gonna install cameras in the city. Well if they do it though, I will be the first to know.”

Jill sighed, happy that at least no one watching her anywhere in the city - it was what she believed-.

“Why being so mysterious on the phone. It’s a bit tiresome.”

“Because I really want to try it. And it was so much fun.”

Jill rolled her eyes. “You’re kinda sociopath huh? Anyway, I believe you can make a better short story to explain to me how you find me and the Racoon things.”

“What do you expect from someone who tried to save the world by locking herself out in a tiny room for almost 2 months? This is the first time I talk much to someone after locking myself.”

“How did you find me working at Kake Bakery?”

“I stalked you.”

“Creepy.”

“And miss a chance to meet a badass who killed a monster with a big laser gun? I’ll regret it every day. But seriously, there are some cameras here, PD who own it, and I hacked it. There is one in front of Kake, so I saw you, and sometimes check you in the shop.”

“Double creepy. You can just talk to me directly.” Jill thinking for a while. "How did you know Carlos named Carlos?"

"I barely know him. I met him in person when he was talking to a U.B.C.S employee in the cafeteria. I overheard their conversation and knew that he was named Carlos. Okay, my turn. How did you manage, holding a big gun laser that bigger than your body size?"

"Adrenaline rush trying to save you from a monster that wanted to kill you, mostly makes you didn't care about how tired you were, or how hurt you were, or how heavy the things you were carrying at that time." Jill admitted to herself that that big gun laser was so heavy, and after hopped into the helicopter, all of her body parts were aches. 

"You were a former professional thief. Why working your ass at the bakery?”

“Not interested anymore. I do it if I have to, not if I want to.”

“Why didn’t you give a try to call your old friends from other S.T.A.R.S branches or delta force to help your current situation?"

“The perks of having full of professional life. No one close to you in your personal life. Besides, afraid of some people who on Umbrella sides all the time there.”

"You afraid all the time huh?"

"It's called risk mitigation, Birta."

“You made a quick decision to work at the bakery, even though you had been through the Racoon incident. Well, I can sense you are stressing, but seriously, how did you manage that? I mean, a normal person would probably be crying in the room, depressed, worst, kill himself.”

Jill sighed, giving a thought with what Birta had said. “My dad always told me, when I’m feeling down, don’t let it consume you. Manage to make yourself busy with anything you can do. Eventually, your feeling will be better. Period.”

“Jezz, working at the bakery when you have no money and bad people try to capture you? Got it. I’ll try it when my dad kicks me out of the house then.”

Jill scowled, know Birta just messing up with her. But probably this is the honest conversation she had for almost 2 months. She had to pretend to the people she talked with because of her fake identity. It was enjoyable, even everything that Birta said was annoying.

Jill and Birta went to Birta’s apartment which near the U.B.C.S office. Along their way to her apartment, they made a light conversation.

“You know, we should just take a taxi. Walking wear me out….”

“Count this as an exercise to work on your stamina. Remember, defeat Umbrella things.” Jill smirked.

Birta annoyed, then give a moment to think. “Hey, want to know something interesting?”

“What?”

“After searching for your information, I’ve got data, there is a bank account. The account name was Annaisha McMillan, and it contains so much money, gold, and jewelry…And, somehow the data related to you.”

Jill raised her right brow. She had kinda taken aback with what Birta words. “I’m not sure I’m following…”

“Annaisha McMillan was your deceased mother right?”

Jill stopped her step. Not sure what information to digest anymore, and there, Carlos was walking toward her and Birta.

Jill ignored Birta, “Carlos? What are you doing?”

“Looking for you.”

“Good timing then.”

“Anna said you were in the rush to your apartment, I need to tell you something.” Carlos then saw there was Birta standing beside Jill with her hoody over her head. “Birta? Jill, what are you doing with Birta?”

“Birta here’s to help me.”

“Are you sure? She is a U.B.C.S hacker. Don’t trust her easily, she can trick or trap you!”

“Whoa, whoa, calm down big guy. Just what she said, I’m here to help her, somehow.” Birta crossed her hands over her chest, stared right to Carlos's eyes.

“Prove it.” Carlos crossed his hands over his chest.

“Stop it guys. We cannot talk about something like this on the roadside. Carlos, we’re heading to Birta’s apartment. Let’s talk there.”

“Okay. Don’t dare try to do something funny, pretty girl.”

“Don’t tempt me..” Birta was sticking her tongue out to Carlos.

“We don't have so much time guys, let’s go.” Jill shook her head, feeling like she was the oldest sister who mediates her siblings' quarrel.

* * *

They arrived in a decent apartment, totally expensive apartment with the calm and clean surroundings. Birta opened her apartment's door, suddenly, around 10 meters from their position, they saw someone approached them.

“Rudy? He is your neighbor?” Carlos said. He thought that Rudy just an ordinary employee like him that probably couldn't afford to live in this kind of apartment.

“He never tells you?”

“Never, quick Jill” Carlos pushed Jill inside Birta’s apartment and standing still there with Birta. Jill hid behind the nearest open room.

“What are you doing here Carlos? With Birta? Why you guys not around the office?” asked Rudy.

“I just accompany her to take something from her apartment then go back to the office.” said Carlos.

“Accompany? Don’t say it you guys dating behind me?” asked Rudy.

“I…” Carlos couldn't continue his words.

“Yes, we are. And why you still in your apartment? Not working? I'll tell your supervisor then.” Birta reached Carlos’s waist.

Rudy ignored Birta. “So, this is how you thank me, Carlos, after everything I’ve done for you? You said you want to be my wingman! I can’t believe you, here I am still waiting for a moment to tell Birta my feeling. Traitor!”

“Look, Rudy, you’re totally not my type. And why you need other people to tell your feeling to me? Don’t blame others.”

Rudy was speechless. Hands-on his waist, shook his head slowly, still felt unbelievable with what he saw right now.

“Now we’re busy, catch up with you later, come on babe.”

“Sorry Rudy.”

They both enter the room, closed and locked the door. Jill popped her head from the nearest room.

“Feel sorry for him.” Jill said.

“He’s wasting our time. And we’re gonna make him suspicious. Let’s go.”

* * *

They headed to the living room, so many laptops, printer, and some computer machine things laying around there. Jill and Carlos sat on the couch, while Birta prepared some coffee for them. Jill briefly explained to Carlos what Birta had said to her.

“So, what you want to tell me?” Jill asked Carlos.

Carlos felt uncertain, his eyes dart from Jill to Birta who sat next to Jill.

“You don’t need to tell her in front of me if you’re not sure that I’m on the right side.” Birta rolled her eyes.

Carlos stared at Birta, “Fine. Take a look at this.” Carlos handed Jill a folded paper. After she opened and read it, she quite shocks, Umbrella sends U.B.C.S to capture or kill Barry and Chris.

“At least we know, where you should going.” Carlos sighed.

“I have to warn Chris first. They need to move to another place or even another city. Birta can I have Chris number and borrow your phone?”

“Sure, on the table on PC's desk over there. And here’s his number.” Birta pointed at the pc desk on the corner of the living room and gave Jill a notebook with Chris's number.

Jill took a deep breath, push the phone’s buttons. The time difference around 6 hours, so it was highly possible that Chris would pick up the phone. The line was busy. She tried several times until someone answered.

“Hello.”

“Chris.” Jill test it first to make sure she called the right person.

Silence.

“Chris. This is Jill...”

“Jill, is this really you?”

“Yap. I survived the Racoon incident…”

“How much I’m worried about you! I thought you are dead. Oh God, I’m so glad you’re alive.”

“I’m glad you are alive too……” Her voice trembling. When Chris said that he glad she was alive, it somehow made her happy and relieved. Weird, his word made her heart hurt. She really wanted to cry, but manage to hold her tears. Jill silent for a while.

“Jill, everything’s okay?”

Jill took a deep breath. She would feel embarrassed if she cried in front of him and the others. “Of course I’m not. Dumbass...”

Chris chuckled, “Glad Queen Hacker told me about your situation.”

“Queen Hacker?” Jill confused for a moment. “You mean Birta? I got it, She didn’t give you her real name.” she scoffed.

“I see, her real name is Birta.”

"Why you in Paris?"

"The mission in Austria failed. I'll tell you the details when we meet."

“Listen, Chris, you have to get out of your place as soon as possible. Umbrella found your position and plan to capture or kill you in two days. Find a place far from your current position, if it’s possible to go to another city or country for a while.”

“What? Okay got it. How about you?”

“Let me prepared for everything first. Just email the Queen Hacker if you found a new place. I’ll be there in a few days. And don’t forget, throw away a used laptop, change your previous number. Umbrella tries to track us everywhere.”

“Okay, thanks for the information…”

Jill wanted to hear more Chris's voice, wanted to talk to him a little bit longer, but every second count. He needed to get out from there.

“Alright cowboy, go now. Be careful.”

“I’ll tell the others about you. You too, Jill. I hope I'll see you soon.” Chris hung up the phone.

Jill was staring at the windows. She felt like her confidence gradually rise. But there was still a clingy feeling that bothered her. She turned around and found Birta and Carlos just stayed at their position. She knew they tried to overhear her conversation with Chris. She walked toward them.

“Why you guys didn’t talk with each other?” Jill test them.

“We wait for you, of course.” Birta pretended to look at her laptop. “So what’s our plan?”

“Needless to say, get out of here. Obviously, I can’t use my passport for the flight to Europe. Too risky. Umbrella will know where I’m heading. Hey Birta, is it possible for you to make a fake identity for me?” Jill asking Birta while sitting next to Birta.

“It’s possible though. But I guess it will take time, especially I should prepare for the IDs and passport hardcopy. I already assume that you will need me to change your identity, so I bought all of this in the black market. Tadaaa.” Birta showed her things that mostly messy and lying on the floor.

“Jezzz, show off. Your -almost-2 months of preparing battle with Umbrella is worth though.” Jill smirked, then she raised her left brow “But create random ID and passport quite risky right? The immigration will check the citizen database in the airport.” Jill asked.

Birta stared to the ceiling for a moment. “A _-ha!_. I’ve got an idea. Jill, do you remember some people from the Racoon whom he or she and their family turned into zombies?”

Jill thought for a while, “Hmm yeah. Why?”

“I assume it will be complicated and take a longer time to add new identities to the citizen database. It will be easier to change people's ids or passport photos in the citizen database. I’ll change your pic in the real data as Jillian Adriana Valentine, including the S.T.A.R.S and delta force database.”

“Got it. And Birta, are you going with me without noticing the U.B.C.S first? I’m afraid they will be suspicious of you. I mean you know everything that happened in Racoon, they will think that you want to expose it by getting out of the city.”

“Well, I could lie that Umbrella wants me to work with them. Better position and salary. I will give my resignation letter soon then.”

“Then make it today or tomorrow. We still need the info of where Chris will be stay. Presuming tonight or tomorrow he will send it to your email. After getting the info, we will get out from here as soon as possible.”

“Okay got it. I hope the network connection will support us.”

“Do you think you better use another identity too? I mean no one should know where the real Birta is heading right?”

“Hmmmm. I guess you right. Not to mention Papi would look for me too. If he knows, maybe he would force me to come home.... ”

“In that the case, we better take the identities of the Racoon police though. It will be easier for us to bring guns.” Jill was adding. “How about you Carlos? Are you still want to stay at U.B.C.S?” Jill and Birta turned around to face Carlos who just listened to their conversation.

“By doing a mission to kill your friends? Be my guest, I’m going to resign though.”

“So you’re not joining us?” Birta was curious.

“I’m not sure. Perhaps, soon. I’m here just to help you out before I visit Honduras.”

“They know you’re the only U.B.C.S survivor from Racoon incident and you just promoted to squad leader, don’t you think the U.B.C.S will be suspicious to you too?” Jill asked Carlos, worried about his situation.

Carlos thought for a moment. “I guess for me, I should pretend that I get another injury. Ask for a recommendation from the infirmary doctor to stop me from joining the operation. It will be difficult though, not to mention the doctor has medical equipment in the office. But I’ll find a way.”

“Do you want to steal people's identity in case U.B.C.S or Umbrella will chase after you too?”

“Nah I'm good. I hope the injury reason would be enough for it.”

“Fine for me. And hey, I just wonder if we can use the Racoon zombies’ money from their bank account. Zombies can’t use money nor debit card, right? Count it as a donation to defeat Umbrella and friends.” Birta gave them a mischievous smile.

Jill and Carlos stared at each other and turned to Birta again. “That’s genius queen hacker. But kinda evil and a little bit...Ummm... immoral?” Jill raised her left brow.

“….Actually it’s an evil genius.” Carlos was adding.

“Hey I know my father rich, but I can’t keep asking him for the money, especially with all the black market things here. I can hack his bank account though, but probably he will find out it’s me. Otherwise, we can’t completely defeat pure evil with pure light, right? And it's better than stealing human-people money.” Birta smirked.

“Let’s steal only from the rich one, shall we? I know some of them, including the zombie Mayor.” Jill grinned.

“Okay, first I’ll prepare the IDs, passports, and debit cards. And I won’t forget to transfer your money to a zombie bank account though. As I promised to you, Jill.” Birta gave a thumbs up, grinned.

“I think you already plan that Birta, stealing the money part too." Carlos leaned on the coach chuckled.

"Oh no! You got me." Birta giggled.

"Anyway, I need to prepare for my resign things. You too Birta.” Carlos looked at Birta.

“So do I. We need to prepared for our things before going to Paris then. I should tell Elsa too, that I want to resign. I’ll look for any possible ticket for us. Anyway, Birta before we go to Paris, could you hack the U.B.C.S system perhaps? Maybe we can get any leads or some evidence.”

“Sad to say, U.B.C.S doesn’t use any system from their database. The only system they have is in the monitoring system. They’re quite old fashioned, still using phone and tax to exchange information and put some of it on the papers.”

“No wonder I didn’t find any data in the squad room. Does it mean you’re going to search for some papers in the office?” Carlos asked.

“Investigate and steal what necessary.” Jill grinned to Carlos and Birta. “Let’s do it tonight then.”

“I’ll help you guys. 3 better than 2 right?” Carlos gave them a warm smile.

* * *

After discussing some other things, and successfully creating new IDs, passports, and debit cards, Birta and Carlos went to the U.B.C.S office to prepare their resignation and prepare for tonight's theft. Jill went to Kake bakery to tell Elsa her resignation. She could just go without giving Elsa further notice, but remembering her kindness to her, it was impolite to not saying anything to her.

Birta asked Jill to buy a cell phone, it was hard for her to contact her and easy to bring anywhere, not to mention she didn’t have any phone in her apartment. " _Stop pretending you're poor! You’ve got money now!”_ She remembering Birta yelled at her.

While she was walking to Kake, she gave a thought about another Birta's words.

“ _Well, I can sense you are stressing, but seriously, how did you manage that? I mean, a normal person would probably be crying in the room, depressed, worst, kill himself_.”

She admitted it was bullshit to be busy to avoid her feeling. Stress was underrated, she felt totally depressed, empty and the thought of suicide across her mind several times. She did not lie that she was happy meeting Birta and the facts Chris and others still alive. But she still felt uncomfortable.

There, she found a payphone on her way to the Kake. She opened it and reached the phone, took a note from her wallet, insert some coin, and push its buttons.

She was calling her dad’s prison. With the normal procedure, the family inmate can't call the inmate, the prison’s staff will send them the messages even if it was urgent messages. The inmate who can call their family with some restrictions. Not to mention they can talk for only 15 minutes. Jill knew a trick from her fellow Racoon police, the easier way to talk directly to the inmate on the phone, but never tried it.

She pretended to be Federal Prosecutor, Selena Rodmann – random name that across her mind- Federal Court order her to talk to Dick regarding the theft case in the National Museum of the Pacific War. She asked the staff not to record the conversation or around Dick because He needed privacy to speak about the case. The staff obeyed her. She was not really expected it worked, but actually it worked, although the staff only gave her 15 minutes to talk with him. The staff told her, if she wanted to talk with him furthermore, she should just visit him. It was already 12 minutes to wait for Dick on the line.

“I don’t think I have a problem with the federal prosecutor.” Said Dick.

“This is rainbow eagle speaking."

Dick was taken aback. Remember that rainbow eagle was Jill's code name when she and he played to be a spy when Jill was a kid.

"Somehow I'm alive. Can't visit you for a while." Jill sighed, she had promised to visit him before Christmas.

"You've got 9 live like cats. Glad until now you're still alive."

She made a bad choice when she knew she should call her father as soon as possible after Racoon incident, but too afraid to try it. Afraid that the prison staff won’t fall for her trick. But she was slightly happy and relieved that two people glad that she was alive.

She felt her cheeks wet.

She couldn't hold her tears anymore.

She realized that she had been held her tears for these past weeks, trying to be strong. It was getting clearer for her: she was disappointed and felt guilty that she failed to save Racoon, sad that she had to live in this kind of situation, angry that Birta hid the fact from her, angry to herself that she should be kinder to Carlos who never give up on helping her, relieved that her friends are still alive, and scared to death if there was no hope for her to fight the Umbrella. She was afraid that she failed herself to do the right things with the chaos around her. She was totally afraid.

Her fear held her to be honest to herself. She escaped from her real feeling.

She consciously accepted that now she was breaking down. Dick listen to her sob for a while, actually, it was hurt for him to listen to her only daughter cried.

"Listen, rainbow eagle. Remember what I always tell you, master your feeling and fear. Do not let your feeling and fear master you."

“….Channel your fear into something impossible. Embrace your fear. Fight the negative thoughts…" Jill was adding but still sobbing.

"The real battle always on your mind..."

“….Focus on your aim. Push the limit…."

"That's my girl, I'm proud of you."

"Time’s up Valentine." Jill could hear the staff yelled at her father.

"Hey, it's not even 3 minutes yet!" Dick was yelled back to the staff. "Whatever you fighting right now, kick their ass."

"Promise I'll visit you soon."

Then the line was cut.

"Love you, dad.." Jill was crying louder, released the uncomfortable feeling that choked her for a while.

After crying, she made her mind. It was time to embrace her fear and move forward.

_Time to make a move._

Jill took a few deep breath, then wiped her tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> depression can appear in different forms. In Jill's case, she was trying to escape from her feeling, holding her tears and sadness by doing routines. Believe me, it's never be healthy for you. Be honest to yourself, so you can move forward easier than just doing anything that makes you busy from avoiding your own feeling. Well, it happened to me too. It's hard to admit your own feeling, but seriously, crying makes it better tho.  
> Enjoy this chapter :)


	6. You're Being Watched Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm trying to fix the grammar and the plot. enjoyzzz

Jill couldn’t let her emotion anymore: happy that soon she would meet her friends, successfully called her father and somehow sad to leave this city. Jill was crying out loud when she told her resignation to Elsa and Anna. She knew that she just pretended to be another person, but they had been so kind to her all the time. She told them that her family contacted her, so she was going to Austria as soon as possible. She was chatting with them for a while, then Birta called her via Kake’s phone – because Jill had not bought a cell phone yet and made Brita annoyed- and told her to come to the office after 9 p.m to make sure no one still around the office. Birta was getting prepared to turn off the monitoring system while Jill, Carlos, and herself doing stealing things.

After saying her goodbye to Elsa and Anna -with a burst of tears of course- she went to the U.B.C.S office at around 10 P.M. She needed to come back to her apartment to take her lock pick set – in case she will need it to open something- a tiny flashlight, wash her face so Carlos nor Birta wouldn't see her swollen eyes.

Carlos waited in front of the small office beside the warehouse.

“No one around?” Jill asked.

“I have scouted the area. So far It’s clear, 3 people here including Rudy who stay in the communication room, but guess we can manage it.”

"There aren't any security guards who patrolling?"

"Usually, the squadron who do the patrolling things when they weren't going for any operation. But for almost two months, there weren't any recruiters or squadrons who came to the office. With the current situation, those administrative employees who do the patrolling. Weird, up until now, I haven't assigned to patrolling the office. So far, no intruders have the courage to come closer to the U.B.C.S office though." 

“Right, it's like you come to the tiger's den... Anyway, how about your resignation progress?”

“I couldn’t find the infirmary's doctor. Already waiting for him for 2 hours, found him nowhere. I guess I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

“Where’s Birta?”

“Perhaps she still setting up the monitoring system." Carlos shrugged. "I arrived 20 minutes ago. When I know the doctor wasn't around, I came back to my apartment, then Birta called and yelled at me to come to the office ASAP.”

“So, where should we search first?”

“They're a few rooms here: cafeteria, infirmary, HR office, finance office, logistics room and some kind U.B.C.S.'s Chief room on the first floor, communication room, monitoring system room, and a tiny library on the second floor…. Better we split up, I'll take some ammo for you in the armory in the warehouse.”

“I think I will look out first to the HR office.”

“Maybe some of the room doors are locked.”

“Don’t worry, I bring my lock pick set. I’ll find a way if it's useless.” Jill pat a small pocket on her jeans.

“Sure. I’ll meet you there. I assured you that Birta will catch up with you soon. Just go to that door. Be careful.” Carlos pointed at the small office door.

“I will. You too.”

Jill stopped for a moment. Then called backed Carlos who already three steps toward the warehouse.

"Hey, Carlos, wait.."

"Yeah, Jill do you need something?" Carlos turned around to face Jill.

"I just want to say....thank you, for everything. You save my life again by helping me this... And I'm sorry with my stupid attitude toward you in these past weeks. I shouldn't push you away.." Jill looked apologetic. "I should tell you this sooner." Jill really wanted to tell Carlos this sooner, but it was too shameful for her if she told this in front of Birta.

"Don't worry I understand exactly how you feel with everything that happens to you. It was a mental breaking moment, and I know you need time to process all of this. I'm glad you decide to move forward though." 

"Mostly it because of Birta's evil words though...But really, thank you for your understanding and for helping me again." Jill chuckled, rubbing her neck.

"Anyway stop apologizing and thanking me, it's like we are going to die soon. Catch up with you later." Carlos gave her a warm smile, then leaving her. Jill replied to his smile, remembered the first time she met Carlos. He was totally flirtatious outside, but a kind-hearted inside. Being flirty just to avoid him being awkward toward the woman though.

Jill and Carlos separated their ways. Jill was surprised, compared to other Umbrella labs, the U.B.C.S. building was not that modern. It was well built, but she could break the door with her lock pick set -what she believed for a while-. She had not seen all the rooms yet. She chose to break the HR office first. It was dark, but she couldn’t risk turn on the lamp, because the office wall toward the hallway made from glass, otherwise people who walk the hallway would be suspicious. After some time looking around at the drawers and tables, she didn’t find anything important there, only the list of the previous platoon that came to the Racoon and list of the administrative employee in the U.B.C.S. - 10 employees including Birta and Rudy. She saw some kind of organization structure picture of U.B.C.S., there were 4 branches in the USA, with details each branch had one platoon consist of three squads of ten in each platoon. 

She moved to the next room, the finance office. The room wasn’t big enough, only four tables, and some drawers, but bigger than the HR room. She looked for a while and there weren’t any important papers, only some financial reporting on 1996, 1997, and Q1-Q3 1998 -which was full of stacks of papers. She sighed, still hoping to gather some necessary information. Her attention moved to some shredder papers on a trash bin. She searched for something on it and found something interesting there.

_Believe me, your message didn’t intimidate me at all. Mark my word, I will expose your crime. You can NOT buy my integrity…_

Another torn paper.

_10 eyes balls_

_5 healthy lungs_

_15 hearts_

_11 healthy livers_

Another torn paper.

_TODAY NEWS_

_Organ Trafficking: Another Form of Human Trafficking_

_By:_ (it was torn)

Another torn paper.

……… _a year ago, 30 dead people were found in the city landfill. Police hardly identify these people, especially with their crushed faces and cuts on their fingerprints. The most horrible things were the culprit took the victim's important organs such a liver, heart, and eyes. Worst, he -possible work with other people- took lots of blood from the victims. The cut of the body made a strange pattern, that designed by the culprit that left the police confused….._

Another torn paper.

_Total Transaction: $ 430,000.00_

_Due to the date of payment_.

And so much torn papers only with words: blood bags, invoices, organs, and some amount of money. She found some photos of caged animals, which is most of them were exotic animals.

Confused and felt a bit creepy, she tried to rearrange the torn papers into full-page papers. It was almost like a jigsaw, but too many pieces missing.

_THUD_

She heard a sound like a closed door. Turned around, she found nothing. The door definitely closed. She shrugged and continued digging into the trash bin. She found a crumpled paper and opened it. She saw someone profile:

_PROFILE_

_Name: Phineas E. Tompkins_

_Date of Birth: January 20, 1960_

Haven’t read it fully, she heard someone's footsteps, turned around, and stood up.

_“Birta?”_

With this small office, she should have seen everything easily but it was too dark. She found nothing. She looked back to the crumpled paper. On the corner of the paper, there was a photograph of a man. She re-focus her eyes to see the photograph a little bit clearly. Somehow his face was familiar.

_WHACK!_

Then everything was black.

* * *

**A few hours ago**

Birta walked toward the monitoring system room. She planned to make the system looked error when she, Jill, and Carlos started their theft mission, then searched her supervisor to give him a resignation letter. She was so excited because this was the first time she tried to steal something. Well, she actually stole things alone via computer or stole her dad’s things, but this time was totally different, she would do it with some kind of friends together.

Arrived at the monitoring system room, she looked around, and there was her laptop on the table under 20 average size monitors. She was so sure that she had turned off her laptop -that what she believed- before met Jill, yet it still turned on. Actually she knew that it was her bad habit, forget to turn off her laptop and ignored it while she went somewhere else. She shrugged and continued her plan.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door and stepped inside. Birta looked around and saw her supervisor there.

“Birta. I was looking for you.”

“Oh, hello sir. Is there anything you need me to do?”

“No of course not. I just wondering where were you after lunch.”

“Well something urgent came and tried to call you but you did not pick it up, also you were not in your room for a while. So I put notes on my laptop and your desk. Sorry in advance.”

“I see.”

“Anyway sir, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Sure. Go on.” He folded his arms across his chest, leaned her leg to the nearest desk.

“Umbrella contacted me and they want me to work with them as soon as possible. I guess I’ll resign from U.B.C.S. then.” Birta handed her supervisor her resignation letter. “Don’t worry I’ll finish all of my tasks first before moving to Umbrella.”

He took her letter, and read it and gave a long sighed, “I’m an officially sole survivor in this office then. Work almost everything alone.”

“Sorry to hear that. I have some friends that I can recommend to work here anyway.”

“Well thanks, Birta. Just tell them to send their resume. Before you leave, please write the report of the weekly monitoring of this office, the monitoring system condition, your recommendation for the future system, and anything that can improve the system.”

“Understood sir. I’ll get to work now, and I’ll put back everything that related to this office, like this room key, my work id card, _hmmm_ what else…”

“Just put those with your report on my desk later then.”

“Got it, sir.” Birta then turned around to continue her plan and -yeah-finished her report. She sensed that her supervisor still staring at her back.

“I found interesting videos in your laptop Birta. Too bad, the data in your laptop only contains your dear diaries. Nothing more.”

Birta shivered. Afraid to turn around, but quite upset that someone using her laptop without her permission. Took a deep breath, she turned around and “It was impolite to—”

_WHACK!_

Then everything was black.

* * *

Carlos was enjoying the view of the armory. He loved the smell of ammo, modern and old guns. Made him remembered when he was holding a gun for the first time to defend her family from the local gang in Honduras. He got the privilege to open the armory because now he was a Squad Leader. Before went to Jill’s apartment, he got second fax that told him about Squad Leader responsibilities, including his rights to access the armory. The paper also told him the armory passcode key. He thought that by hacked the U.B.C.S. system, the armory could open without the code, but now he understood, it wasn’t related at all. Assuming no one at the warehouse, He took some time to admire the armory, enjoying the view for a moment.

He only took rounds of ammo: 9mm parabellum for Jill’s and his Beretta, and .357 Magnum for Jill Colt Python -it was Barry’s though-. He knew Jill’s guns when she was passed out because of the t-virus: he removed her things that attached to her body -except the clothes _duh_ \- to make her more comfortable to rest. Birta had told him while walking together to the U.B.C.S office, that she had a Glock too, using 10mm Auto. She ‘borrowed’ it from her father gun’s collection at her house. After all, she didn’t know how to use it, but Carlos promised her to teach her. After some time to search for 10mm Auto, he took some rounds, put everything inside his backpack, loaded his gun and put it in his belt waist, he walked to the small office to meet Jill who probably already with Birta.

Inside the office, he checked every possible room. Start from the HR office, finance office, cafeteria, and then a tiny library. On the finance office, he found few torn papers laying on the floor, he checked around but there was nothing, including in the trash bin. He checked the logistics room and some kind of U.B.C.S.'s Chief room, but it locked so he continued to check another room. In the communication room, there was only Rudy who was half-sleep, then he moved to the monitoring system room, and yet it was empty. He looked around and found Birta's resignation letter opened, laying on the floor, her sling bag under the table and her cell phone on the table neatly. All the monitors were shut off. He rushed to checked woman toilette -albeit he wasn’t sure to enter it-. He put his ear on the door, made sure there wasn’t any sound, and open the door. No one inside. His mind started to rush. _Something is going on._

Took a deep breath, he thought the most possible things that happened: someone caught Birta and Jill, or they both just teased him to make a surprise for him. But it was not funny at all if they do that. Someone had known what they are doing here, or he or she or they just target Jill or Birta. He had not checked the logistics room, U.B.C.S.'s Chief room, and the infirmary. He checked the infirmary first.

* * *

Jill woke up with a throbbing head and heavy eyes. 

“Finally. Lucky for you I don’t need to spit on you to wake you up.”

She opened her eyes turned to her left and quite shock, she saw Birta was lying in the examination bed with her hands were cuffed on both sides of the bed.

“Oh God, that’s disgusting Birta.” she winced and refocused her eyes, and saw she was cuffed too. “Where are we?” She asked Birta. 

“Oh, you already wake up Kim? You’ve been sleeping for almost two hours.”

“Kim?” She turned around to see where the sounds were coming. “Edward? What are you doing here?”

“Definitely doing my job, and welcome to my sanctuary, Kimberly aka Jillian. ” He stood up from his desk beside Birta's bed, gesturing the room around, showing his personal lab room: a 10x10 m2 room with a lot of medical equipment, lab equipment some big drawers and cupboards, only one door, and no windows. The room probably was in the basement.

“What are you talking about?” Jill still didn’t understand the situation.

“Jezz, Jill. Meet my ex supervisor, oh mighty Phineas Edward Tompkins. Surprisingly, we’re still in the U.B.C.S office. And congrats, you're being watched by him all this time.” Birta was annoyed.

“Well thank you for the introduction my ex subordinate.” He walked to Jill’s bed and sat beside her bed, near her legs.

“You’re working with U.B.C.S all the time? I thought you're only a 'normal' surgeon. What do you want from us Edward?” Jill scowled.

“Kill you both…But just killing you without doing anything else won’t be fun….” Edward stared at the ceiling, thinking.

“How do you know me?” Jill asked.

“Hmm… it was a long story. But for you, I’ll make it short. Count it as the prisoners' last request.” Edward gave her a coy smile and winked. Jill and Birta felt disgusted with him already.

“I worked for Umbrella, but somehow I stuck in U.B.C.S doing some dirty administrative things---”

“Let me guess, you disguise yourself to be one of the surgeons in the local hospital to get or trade for illegal blood bags or organs. You traded some illegal wildlife animals too. It’s easy to predict that with all the horrible things in the Umbrella’s lab.” Jilled scoffed.

“With only saw some torn papers from the trash bin and you already could guess what’s going on. Always be the sharpest knife on the drawers are you, Jillian? Jezz, I already told that stupid finance staff to destroy the papers after sending the fax or the soft files to the Umbrella.”

“Did you kill 30 people and threw their bodies in the landfill too?” Jill asked him.

“Kill them? Yes. Threw them? No. I ordered people to do that too. They were Umbrella’s traitor though. It was good that I could get their organs freely, although I need to damage their faces and cuts their fingerprints…” He stared darkly at her for a moment.

"Why didn't you bury them instead?" 

"It much easier to throw people away than dig the ground."

Silent for a moment.

“Please continue the story….” Birta said to him. Jill threw angrily stared at her.

“What? We are going to die anyway. Better to know the whole story before we die right?” Birta shrugged, Jill just rolled her eyes.

Edward chuckled. “Okay. After watching the live streaming video of what happened in Racoon City, a woman who successfully kill the Tyrant-02 and flee with Carlos Oliviera using a helicopter, suddenly disappear. The monitoring system was down when Carlos Oliviera arrived in the U.B.C.S office. At first, I thought it was a coincidence.”

Jill and Birta stared at each other, starting to feel nervous.

“1 month ago, Umbrella released ‘capture or kill wanted’, and one of them was you, Jillian. One of the highest head’s prices to be captured or killed.”

“How much?” Jill asked curiously and somehow proud. “I hope I’m the highest between other Racoon S.T.A.R.S members.” Jill smirked.

“It’s so much and better than your saving in the bank…” said Edward with a blank expression.

“Pffftt…” Birta giggled. Jill was pouting while staring blankly toward the door but quickly gazed on Edward.

“Then I remembered, this woman was the same woman whom her right shoulder was pierced by Tyrant-02 tentacles. Moreover, this woman was the only one who had been chased by Tyrant-02 around. It meant you were one of the Racoon S.T.A.R.S. that still alive at that time, Jill Valentine.”

“And you already know what happened to the Racoon city with the zombies' things without watching the live streaming video with me?” Birta asked. 

“Yes—"

“So you already know Tyrant-02 was made to destroy Racoon S.T.A.R.S?” Jill asked again.

“Yes—”

“Hold on, how the Tyrant-02 could possibly found me anywhere?” Jill asked curiously.

Edward gave a thought for a moment, smiled on his face. “It been program to identify and kill all Racoon S.T.A.R.S and guess what? Its brains connected to the monitoring system of Umbrella secret cameras around the city. What an invention! Nevertheless, It was weird that you were still alive until she killed Tyrant-02. I heard from the scientist who created the Tyrant-02 if its tentacles or hands pierced a human body, a high possibility that the human could be infected. The only possibility that happened was the sample of the vaccine that Nicholai stole from Dr. Richard Aquino in Racoon Hospital was stolen to cure you. It could be Carlos who stole it, albeit I didn’t know how he made it because Nicholai ran away before the hospital destruction…”

“Wow how long you’ve been thinking about this? I mean discover about Jill?” Birta asked curiously.

“I have my suspicion on her on the first day I met her. She went to the hospital ICU, saying her wallet burned and asked for stitches for big wounds that not looked like from a pipe at all. Not to mention she said that she got no money. I mean, you can borrow someone else money, right? It didn't make sense.”

Birta chuckled, “Money problem Jill.”

“Oh come on guys, why you bullied me because of money?” She was sneering while staring toward the door again dan quickly stared at Birta, blink slowly. Birta somewhat nodded.

"Oh wait, why you came to the hospital, Jill? I thought as a part of law enforcement you can stitch your own wound."

"Instead of having to treat my own wounds, not to mention I have to buy the suture kit, it's better and easier to go to the hospital, right?" Jill annoyed.

"Oh, that makes sense, even a stupid choice though because then Phin found you." Birta mocked Jill and stared at Edward. Jill rolled her eyes. "Please continue the story. Sorry for the intermezzo." Birta grinned.

Edward gave a long sighed "I came to Kake every day to make sure it was real Jillian, then the ‘capture or kill wanted’ being sent to me, and I was getting sure you’re Jillian Adriana Valentine. Lucky for me, today I found Birta’s dear diary videos on her laptop and mention you several times, completing my 'big puzzle'. Then, Birta came back from her meeting with you, I hit her head while she babbling out about being hired by Umbrella, and asked her to call you here. Took long enough to come here though.” 

“You have been watching me all this time? I feel like a celebrity, having a stalker.” Jill scoffed, felt creepy toward Edward.

“I told you to get cellphone Jill,” Birta said. "He was so upset waiting for you."

Jill ignored Birta, but remember why Birta's voice sounds weird when she called her in Kake, understood that probably Edward was threatening her. “You are not an ordinary Umbrella employee, are you? You even know Nicholai and some scientists and the secret of Tyrant-02.”

“Remember Albert Wesker? We are Umbrella's double agents. Lucky for me not assigned to be a Racoon S.T.A.R.S Captain. Clean up their big mess cost Albert life.” Edward frowned.

“So---” Jilled wanted to ask again but Edward cut her.

“Enough for the question.” Edward stood up.

“Wait, one more question. After all, your feeling toward me was fake too?” Jill looked sad.

“Oh darling, it was not personal anyway. You're just part of my plan though.” He smirked then walked toward his desk, beside Jill's bed. Preparing something.

"Thank God. For your information, you just a temporary distraction though. I won't feel guilty if I leave this town without giving you any notice." Jill chuckled, tried to disturb Edward, but he ignored her.

“YOU ARE DATING HIM JILL? OMG. Talking about a big age gap.” Birta said half yelled, some kind of shock. Now she turned to stare blankly at the door.

“Love is blind. Blind to the truth.” Jill said it, weirdly calm. She knew she quite sad and felt betrayed about this, but she also knew that when she got the truth from Birta this afternoon, it was too good to be true. She'd got a feeling that something bad will happen soon. It was stress-relieving after crying before came to the U.B.C.S office. 

“I know he is somehow attractive, but pleaseee Jill, his attitude tho. Pyscho, not mention he was a totally-immoral monster.” Birta on purposely yelled.

“Duly noted. Remind me of the criteria of having someone to date with: having a stable job, good looking, and a good attitude. And it would be great if he umbrella-related-free or saving the world-related-free. Ah forgot, psycho-free too.”

“I prefer someone whom I know him well enough,” Birta said.

“Who? like Carlos?” Jill asked.

“He would make a perfect boyfriend you know, great attitude, psycho-free. Although he doesn’t have any job now if he resigns from the U.B.C.S. Well yeah barely know him for 1 day, but I think I already knew him.”

“I thought you just know one guy....your dad.”

“And my little brother, satisfied?”

For some reason, Birta and Jill stared at each other, then laughed so hard.

“Can’t you both shut up?” Edward now yelled to them, his hand on his waist, felt a little bit weird why these two ladies laughing like a mad man so suddenly.

“What do you expect from us? Being frightened like everyone else in horror movies?” Jill scowled.

“I should just search for any tape for your both fucking mouth.” Edward glared to them darkly.

“Oh no, that's scary…Anyway, what are you going to do with us now?” Birta stared at Edward intensely.

“I haven’t decided yet. Of course, kill you and I’ll take your organs, but turned you into Trisquad will be interesting—”

“You know about Griffith creation too? What are you anyway? Why you can obtain such data?” Jill knew a little about Trisquad from Rebecca who contacted her after her mission to the Caliban Cove with David Tripp. They failed the mission, couldn’t bring necessary data yet 2 of David’s subordinates – Karen Driver and Steve Lopez- were dead. Dr. Griffith dead because of the lab’s destruction.

“What is trisquad?” Birta asked.

“Some kind of Zombies, but smarter. They can be ordered around and holding a weapon.”

“Okay Edward, I know you're going to kill Jill, you would get a bunch of money. But believe me, you better take me. Obviously I’ll be handy, I can hack almost everything.” Birta pleading, behave like a sweet little girl to Edward.

“You're valuable to Umbrella. But not for me, I rather work with someone quieter. You talk too much.” Edward frowned.

Jill then laughed so hard. Edward stared at her intensely, angry. Took a scalpel from a nearby table and walked toward Jill.

“I said shut--”

“Hands up Phin or I shoot your head.”

Edward turned around and found Carlos standing around 3 meters from him, pointing his gun into his head.

Edward smirked.


	7. Mini Boss Fight

"Welcome Carlos, took you long enough to join our party." Edward grinned, still holding the scalpel.

"So you avoid me because of him Jill?" Carlos asked.

Jill gave long sighed, "why you guys ask me too many unnecessary things…"

"Aah I see. That's why both of you were acting weird earlier. Carlos was trying to approach me here.."

Silent. No one responds to Edward's words.

"Can you please unlock this? It's almost 9 hours I am lying here. My body stiffs." Birta complained and tried to lift her cuffed hand.

"You heard that lady, open up their cuffs." Carlos commanded Edward, walked one stepped closer to them.

"You know I hate it when people order me around." Edward yawned, then took the cuffs key in his coat.

"I don't care about how you feel. Just open it up."

Edward turned around, then walked toward Jill first then, open hers then Birta's cuff, then standing beside Birta who still sat on the bed.

"Hands up old man, and stay away from Birta." Said Carlos, still pointing his gun with both of his hands to Edward. Edward stood still. His hands still in the air.

"Please I'm still 38." said Edward, weirdly calm.

"He has a baby face though. What's should we do with him now?" Birta stood up then looked around Edward's office, and walked to some kind of operating table. 

"Cuff him first, look around and interrogate him." Jill held the cuff, and walked toward Edward.

"Good idea. Turned around." ordered Carlos to Edward to facing him.

When Jill approached Edward, and pull Edward's right hand to cuff it, suddenly he threw the scalpel from his coat with his left hand, into Carlos's temple direction. Carlos reflexively blocked it, but unfortunately, it stabbed his right wrist, made his gun's gripped weaker. Swiftly spun his body, Edward moved his left hand, and jabbed into Jill's jaw hard, pushed Jill into the nearest examination bed. He then ran fast toward Carlos who still half shocked, lunged, and kicked his right's hand, made Carlos's gun flew into the other side of the room. Stepped back, Carlos pulled the scalpel and threw it into the floor, already on his fighting stance, getting ready for others Edward's attack, even though his wrist started to bleed.

Edward was fast, he tried to kick Carlos on his head, he knew that Carlos would block it, but then he turned his feet to kick Carlos rib – his former broken rib- so hard. Carlos winced and stopped for a moment, but Edward was going non-stop. He punched his nose, but Carlos still able to stand up. They exchange some punched, kicked, and blocked until Edward kicked and punched his rib again and made Carlos stumbled, pushed into sat position. When he tried to stand up, Edward mercilessly kicked his right jaw. Carlos was laying on the floor, his nose bleeding, almost blackout, bewildered.

Feeling dizzy after Edward punched her, Jill shook her head, she stood up then force herself to run into Edward's direction. She tried to punch and kick him but her attacked easily blocked.

"So, you guys suck in hand to hand combat? I was expecting more. Especially from professional like you Jill." Edward mocked Jill and Carlos.

"Shut up!" Jill attempted to attack him again, but Edward able to blocked and counterattacked her. Jill was getting hit on her nose and her abdomen, but she didn't give up yet.

"Now I decide what I'm going to do with you, take some of your vital organs, sell it, make you half a life, and inject you with my first trisquads virus." Edward laughed and kicked her left side knee pitiless. Jill half stood on her right knee.

"You know the best part? I haven't tried the virus yet, even to the lab rats. So you guys have the honor to be my first test subject." Edward stepped closer, and kicked her right shoulder where her previous injury from the nemesis, pushed and forced Jill to lay on the floor.

"Except you Jill, I really want to know whether your body created some kind of antibody from the t virus. I'll take your blood as much as I want. Wait… maybe inject you with trisquads virus too, just to make sure whether you still alive after losing so much blood and without vitals organ. Could the virus save you? Or could you turn into another monster?" His right leg stepped into Jill's right shoulder, pressed onto her injury. Jill tried to shove his leg with her left hand, but it was too painful for her.

"When my trisquads virus succeeds, Umbrella definitely will give me my own lab. Not to mention money from killing 'human' Jill." Edward laughed again, stomped Jill right shoulder several times.

While watching the painfully-fast-fight, panicked Birta trying to search for the flying gun. She found it near some kind of automated chemistry analyzer. Grabbed the gun while watching Edward tortured Jill, she ran into Edward, stayed afar to him in case he would attack her like he attacked Carlos, and she yelled.

"Stop it or I literally shoot your head asshole!"

Edward glanced and saw Birta for a moment. He smirked, turned around, and stepped closer to Birta, left Jill who still laying on the ground and putting her left hand into her wound.

"Don't go any closer or I'm fucking serious to shoot you!" She held the gun by both of her hands, shaking.

"Just shoot it." Edward shrugged, getting closer to Birta.

"You asked me." Then she pulled the trigger.

_Click…click…click._

Nothing happened. She pulled the trigger once more.

"What's happening, the gun is error!" Birta yelled.

"It's never error when you understand how to use it Birta." Edward laughed, he was getting closer.

Panicked, she threw the gun into Edward's face, it hit precisely to his nose, and start bleeding. Edward stood still for a while, put his right hand into his nose, and saw blood, he was so furious. He ran toward Birta fast, kicked her abdomen, and punched her face twice, then grabbed her neck. Edward started to strangler her.

"How dare you, snob girl! I should kill you sooner."

"I'm a snob but still a rich-born. Totally different level with you, arrogant-corporate slave and immoral-desire-slave." Birta smirked even though she was struggling to breathe.

'I'll kill you slowly then. This is how corporate slaves hard to breathe every day, being pressed and forced by snob and rich people like you, doing something impossible even immoral. Thanks to you, all snob riches, immoral things already become our values though." Edward chuckled, pressed his fingers deeper onto Birta's neck. Birta tried to release Edward's gripped, but it was so strong.

His head getting clearer, Carlos forced to stand up, ran toward Edward, round kicked to Edward's body. His head hit into a test tube rack, but still able to stand up then counterattacked Carlos. Carlos was getting a punch on his abdomen, bowed down, Edward grabbed Carlos's shoulder and kicked his gut with his left knee, then pushed him into the near bookshelf.

Shifted, Edward looked at Birta and wanted to kick Birta who half-stand, suddenly, Jill ran toward them, grabbed a microscope on the near table with her left hand, and hit it to Edward's head.

_Whack!_

Edward was down, fainted.

"So this is how it feels when defeating Umbrella mini-boss huh?" Birta wiped her bleeding nose with the back of her left hand then coughing, slid and sat on the floor.

"Welcome to save the world from the Umbrella-club… Believe me, you should get used to this....." Said Jill, breathing hard.

* * *

Jill cuffed Edward's hands in his back, cuffed his foot, and left him on the floor, then sat near Edward. Birta was helping Carlos to sit and lean to the nearer wall. They didn't talk, rest for a moment, took some breath, feeling the pain from Edward's attack.

"Look at us, triple-nose-blood team who have beaten up by my ex-boss." Birta gave a short laughed.

"I thought his body just for display…seriously, he has a deadly skill. Anyway, are you okay guys?" Carlos asked them.

"Hurt," Birta said.

"Probably not as bad as you Carlos." Said Jill still panting and trying to breathe normally. "Do you need any urgent medical attention?"

"I think my ribs break again, but hopefully not that bad. I guess now I can officially resign from U.B.C.S." Carlos chuckled. "How about you Jill?"

"He kicked my right shoulder and stepped and stomped on it. Never feel so good…my shoulder numb now." Jill laughed.

"You guys absolutely lost your mind." Birta shook her head.

"Why it took you long to find us?" asked Jill to Carlos.

"After a while trying to break all the doors in the office, I found a secret door in the finance division office that lead here. I need some time to solve the secret door puzzle. Also, I need the right moment to ambush this basement door, until you both gave me a clear code."

"I bet all Umbrella employees obsessed with puzzles." Jill smirked.

After a while, she stood up and looked around the room. She saw a dartboard with different sizes of scalpel onto it, understood why Edward skillfully threw the scalpel to Carlos before. Then, she saw a medical freezer and a lab freezer, hoping there are some ice packs for her, Birta and Carlos. Approached the freezer and opened it, and it was full of human organs. She opened another freezer and found 7 tubes that were labeled with different codes. She thought that probably trisquad virus Edward mention before, but she wondered why the tubes had different codes. Turned her head, she saw a normal freezer, and thankfully there were some icepacks. Probably to keep other human organs in good condition if the medical freezer was full.

Jill took it, and check if there was any first aid kit, but only found a box of tissue and some bottled water, and brought it to Birta and Carlos.

They sat and leaned together on the wall, drank water, and tended their wounds with only tissue, icepacks, and bottled water. Putting icepacks on her cheek, Birta was gazing at the room, she found a laptop on the desk near the door, strolled toward it. Jill and Carlos still sat, leaned on the wall.

"Anyway, what should we do now with him? Leave him rooting here?" asked Carlos, stared at Edward.

"Probably one or more U.B.C.S employees know this place. They will then chase after us if we leave him here." Jill shook her head.

"Kill him?" asked Birta while strolling toward the desk.

"I'm not going to kill any civilian. Besides, he has to pay for his crimes." Said Jill.

"Should we turn him into trisquad things?" asked Birta, already in front of the laptop, then turn it on.

"Of course not. Turn him into abomination would be a disaster," said Carlos remembered what happened in the Racoon.

While waiting for the laptop to turn on, Birta examined what was on the table. Minutes passed, she yelled. "Omg look at these guys, Edward using corporate credit cards to buy all of this medical and lab equipment. And wow the limits of the cc though, you can travel on a private jet for several times. Can't believe the bank could give Umbrella this cc limit.."

"No wonder he could get all this modern equipment easily. Money does talk." Carlos was adding.

"Do you find any important documents?" Jill stood up, jogged toward Birta.

"Organs trading invoices, some kind of chemical analysis...some kind of map...and a note about the dose of anaesthetic fluid to give to the people in the operating table..... "

Jill then took some documents on the desk, read it for a while.

"This is absolutely some pieces of evidence we need to kick Umbrella's ass." Jill smiled, hoping that this evidence would be enough to make the authorities to investigate Umbrella dirty works.

Suddenly they hear someone laughing.

"It's not a ghost voice right?" Birta shivered.

"Edward is laughing. Just let him be." Said Carlos who glanced at Edward's position.

"Even with that data, it's impossible for you to destroy Umbrella." Edward rolled his body to the left. "Let's put this into another perspective. Destroy umbrella would shake the economy and health sectors. There will be massive unemployment, medicine production around the world would be decreasing, and reduction of tax revenue. Do you think the government would let this happened? Don't you think your saving world mission is really saving the world or perhaps you just destroy the world?"

Silent. They gave a thought for a while.

"Why you defend umbrella so much, Edward? You just their pawn. They can throw you away anytime." Asked Jill curiously.

"What the difference with you, Jill? You're government pawn too, with a jargon 'keep the society obedient with government's rules'. People with power and money will always be above us until we are in their position."

"Wow mind-blowing statement Edward," said Birta clapping, amazed with what Edward said.

"What's for you to have these viruses and lab personally?" asked Jill.

"Make vaccines that able to cure any diseases. No more people will suffer. People will be superhuman. Of course, these vaccines only for special people who provable could make a better world, and I will be the one who helps them. I'll be in human history. And as for you peasant, you guys are nothing, born for nothing........Wait you can still be a test subject to be useful though…"

"Sounds like all money things in my ears. I bet all this special human are the rich one only." Carlos was adding.

"Hey, I'm a rich one too. You shouldn't hurt me then." Birta folded her hands.

"Now, I consider you as someone who could help the world Birta. Help me to complete Umbrella's big mission, make a better world! Don't let emotion blind you, let these disgusting people become test subjects. I'll promise you'll be the first to know if my virus or vaccines works!" Edward was trying to convince Birta.

"Don't let him inside your head Birta. Umbrella mission just an illusion to justify their crimes." said Carlos.

"Trading for illegal organs, making illegal test subjects, and done so many crimes, do you think you make a better world?" asked Jill annoyed.

"Those are the price to help the world. And poor peasants like you are the price, except you Birta." Edward looked toward Birta's direction, giving her a coy smile.

"Pffff, you said that I'm too noisy! Hypocrite." Birta already bored with the conversation, and then turned her attention on Edward's laptop. She was surprised that Edward didn't put any password to log in to his laptop. Probably he brought it anywhere, no one laid a hand into it.

"Even poor peasants have a right to life. Who are you deciding other people's life? Trying to play God?" Carlos stood up, getting annoyed.

"People change all the time Birta. I'm not playing God, just told you the truth, the strongest one who can survive. And hey, there are many Umbrella's double agents like me, who work in every field. Who do you think you can trust? Even the government probably unwilling to destroy Umbrella. And what are you, playing hero by destroying Umbrella?" Edward scoffed.

"I assured you, there are still people who sane enough to stop what Umbrella has done." Jill became more annoyed.

"Umm guys, sorry to interrupt your chit-chat. I think we can't stay here for too long." said Birta while looking at Edward's laptop.

"Why?" Jill turned her head to Birta.

"I saw opened Edward's email. There was only email though, from Emily Rodger, one of the HR division teams. She said that the HR division and some squadrons will arrive soon, and Edward should greet and do some medical checkup to them. What the definition of 'soon' though? Morning? Afternoon?" Birta scoffed.

"Can't wait to see the squadrons find intruders here...Believe me, with Umbrella down, Umbrella ex scientists or traitors or even enemies would give the world other terrors, perhaps selling the virus, or worst, intentionally or unintentionally spreading it. It's good Umbrella in charge of this, you know, clean up their own mess without making people panic. If you want to stop and fight that kind of virus terrors until you die, be my guest. Can't wait to say 'told ya' in the future." Edward chuckled.

_Whack!_

Carlos hit the back of Edward's head with an unbroken microscope, made him fainted again. "Talking-too-much virus already spread from Birta to Edward. They probably will come here in the morning, preparing for a new operation. So let's get out of here then."

Jill lost in thought for a moment, then smiled at Carlos and Birta.

"Why you're smiling like psyco Jill?" asked Birta, felt creepy.

"I think I know what should we do with Edward." Jill gave them wide grinned.

* * *

**2 Days later**

"Too bad Carlos didn't join us." said Birta, drank her coffee, stared blankly.

"We should respect his decision though. Especially helping us this far. Are you sad that we parted with him?" 

"Of course not!" Birta rolled her eyes, but there was a glint of sadness in her eyes.

"Said someone who held her tears when she embraced Carlos so tightly and didn't want to let it go." Jill still teased Birta. 

"It just, I think, I should be kinder to him..... Why our flight has to be delayed? It should be us to say goodbye to him first!" Birta complained.

"Yeah, you should be kinder to anyone somehow."

"He promises to teach me how to use a gun." Birta still complaining.

"Then I'll teach you, as his substitute." 

"Jezzz...I want him to teach me" Birta murmuring.

"What? You want him? Can't hear you clearly." 

"Your ears need cotton buds, Jill." Birta pouting while Jill laughing.

Jill realized now, her feeling toward Carlos more likely gratitude and respect, not a fling or even love. Stuck in a dangerous situation cloud her judgment toward her own feelings. She believed it could be love, but knew it won't be last. In these past three days, she saw Birta more likely attracted to Carlos. And Carlos, yap, typical guy who didn't understand some kind of woman attraction's signal.

"Anyway, I wonder how Edward could be an overachiever person. Looked at his resume, he was a surgeon, then worked Umbrella, then joined the Army, then worked at Umbrella again, then worked at U.B.C.S as an infirmary doctor while supervising me, and worked at the local hospital as a surgeon at the same time. I mean this double agent work really hard one, right? how much money did he get?" Birta tried to change the topic.

"I guess listed the Army was part of his Umbrella career path, not to mention he had to compete with other Umbrella's lunatic-ambitious- employees." said Jill remembered Albert Wesker.

"Surgeon and virologist is different right? I mean how could Edward made such kind of virus?"

"Maybe he smart enough or just Umbrella scientist wannabe who pretend to be the know-it-all?"

They were waiting in the VIP lounge while chatting.

After taking some things in Edward's personal lab, Jill, Birta, and Carlos went to Birta's apartment by Edward's car. They took all the 7 tubes that probably contain trisquad virus, Edward's laptop, Birta's things in the monitoring room, Carlos backpack that contain the ammo, and brought fainted Edward. Nothing more.

It was Jill's plan all along, she created the scenario that Edward went to a sudden vacation, only took his laptop. Jill asked Birta and Carlos to clean up some mess in Edward's personal lab, to make the other U.B.C.S staff less suspicious with Edward's sudden departure, while she quicked-checked Edward's laptop. She didn't have time to copy all the documents on Edward's desk, fortunately, some of the evidence already on his laptop. Jill asked Birta if she knew one of the private jet pilots who usually ordered by her father. Birta then contacted the pilot and booked a flight to China by private jet using Edward's corporate credit card. Jill actually had another idea though, booked another flight by private jet to Paris and Honduras. Too bad, booking a trip to China already maximized the limit of the corporate credit card, perhaps Edward already using it to buy medical or lab equipment for his personal lab or even for the organ trading.

After they arrived at Birta's apartment, Jill asked them to pack up their things. Using Edward's email account, Birta who know exactly Edward style when sending an email, made an email to Emily -the HR division team- that she and Carlos were recommended to be fired: Birta was so snob and didn't care about work ethic, while Carlos broke his ribs again that made him unfit for squad leader, not to mention his condition would waste company money. Birta also wrote that Edward needs some kind of vacation for a while. This kind of sudden vacation probably would make U.B.C.S angry with him, because he supposed to do medical checks of all the new members of squadrons. 

Eventually, Barry sent Birta an email that He and the others were already moved into another place, but still in Paris. He told them their new address. Barry offered them to be picked up in the Charles de Gaulle Airport.

After packing their important-personal things, they packed up Birta's black-market things, that highly would be used in the future and send them to Paris.

Birta had another idea. To put salt in Edward's wound, they using Edward's credit card to book first-class flight from China to Paris and Honduras and went shopping. They went shopping until it reached the limit of Edward's personal credit card.

Didn't forget, they bought lots of sleeping pills to make Edward sleep all the time, and of course to avoid his barks. Birta and Carlos didn't care if he overdosed by the sleeping pill, but Jill wanted to keep Edward alive. On the other side, flying with a private Jet would minimize the chance of the customs asking about sleeping-Edward. They brought him with a wheelchair and told the customs that he was a local Mayor's cousin who survived the Racoon incident, and he needed to be treated in a local hospital in China. Carlos pretended to be his assistant, while Jill and Birta, pretended to be the police who escorted them. Surprisingly, the customs believed it, probably because the fake document Jill made that show they were ordered by local PD chief to escorted Edward. 

After a moment of silence, Birta started the conversation again.

"I bet your father who taught you to make a fast plan, not to mention a structured and clean one."

"He'd forced me to be creative and fast when stealing things." Jill chuckled, remembering his father.

"Never thought combination of pro-thief and S.T.A.R.S experience would be so dangerous."

"Combination of a surgeon, Umbrella scientist-wannabe, and army experience is way more dangerous. Edward."

They both giggling.

"By the way, why you choose China to throw Edward away?"

"I know he can't speak Chinese. It would be hard for him to escape China. Not to mention Umbrella would be furious with him that he disappear for, hopefully, a long time. It was a nice coincidence though that you have an acquaintance here, so we can drop him away from the city. Plus, he can make many speeches about Umbrella's big mission with the audiences who don't understand at all what he's talking about. "Jill giggled.

"I hope I could see his face when he realizes where he is now." Birta joined Jill giggling. "But hey do you need to bring 100 grand with a backpack like this? And why packed some set of underwear in this backpack though? And please throw away your cheap cap, you got money now." Birta pointed at Jill who still wore the cheap baseball cap that she brought in the convenience store. Jill managed the 100 grand -into some kind of book in the backpack, so the customs would think it was a regular book.

Jill chuckled remembered her past almost two months' journey. "You never know what will happen after we step up into the plane. And for this cap, I want to wear it. Don't care about its price."

"Whatever you say, Jill...... Well, I have a serious question for you," asked Birta.

"Shoot it, you already ask too many questions anyway."

"I still think that stayed in the Racoon after Arklay incident and come to the U.B.C.S office were stupid-bad choices for you. If you could go back to the past, do you think you want to change your choices?"

Jill gave a thought for a while. "Well yeah, you could say that I made a bad choice. But without that bad choice, I wouldn't have experiences to work at a bakery, dating a doctor who is Umbrella's double agent even only for one week, and worst maybe I could have died now. But you know what the best part, Birta? I wouldn't have met you and got some evidence." Jill nudged Birta.

"Damn that makes me feel weirdly happy somehow." Birta looked away, blushing and smiling.

"Anyway, if this a bad choice, I just need to fix it right? Nothing permanent in this world, even the final judgment of our choice. A bad or good choice, it depends on how we react to it. And answering your question, I hope I never go back to the past." Jill grinned, felt satisfied with her statement.

"Said someone who walked through the U.B.C.S office with swollen eyes...Well, you didn't answer my question, though. But it's clear that you won't change your choice."

Jill then laughed, made people around her looking at her and Birta's direction.

"Stop it, Jill, you make us the center of attention, and it's not funny."

Jill laughed louder. It was the first time for two months she can laugh freely.

Birta stayed quiet for a while that made Jill wondered.

"Something matter Birta?"

"So what should I do when I meet the others?"

"Be kinder and less sarcastic I guess," said Jill, remembering what Birta had done when she met her.

"Okay. I'll try it, momma." Birta shrugged then grinned.

* * *

Edward woke with his head was so much in pain. Looked around, he thought he was in his bedroom, but the room was so unfamiliar. Starting to focus, he jumped on the bed and realized that it was a tiny and dirty room, with faded paint wall, totally not western style. The bed was clean enough though. He walked toward the window, slide the curtain, and saw a wide ricefield. The distance from other houses was quite far from his position. He was confused, tried to remember what happened. The last thing he remembered, he was in his personal lab, having a conversation with Jill, Birta, and Carlos, then it was blank. While retaining the last event, his attention moved into a piece of paper, an envelope, and a grocery bag contain loaves of bread, 2 bottles of water, and two bottles of milk. He read the paper.

_We left you some food. Eat it while it can still be eaten._

_Sorry (not sorry), we intentionally burned your ID, passport, debit and credit card, and your corporate credit card. And throw away your phone._

_And whoopsy, we use your credit card and corporate credit card before it burned. Hope Umbrella will chase after you soon. LOL_

_Because we are kind enough, we left some money for you too._

_Enjoy your vacation._

_notes: It wasn't personal though Edward *wink *tongue out_

He opened the envelope, then he found 10 dollars and 1 yuan. Furious, he started to punch and kick the table, then screamed.

* * *

**30 minutes after Jill, Carlos, Birta and Edward left the U.B.C.S office.**

"So they go to Paris after all." Said someone on the other side of the phone. "Anyway, you are barely doing anything huh? What are you paid for?" He chuckled.

He chuckled "I remember correctly my main objective here is to watch over Jill, sir. You know, I never thought the snob hacker would help her. Nevertheless, I thought teaching the hacking skills to Oliviera would be useful, but he barely uses it. This is so unexpected."

"Well, always expect the unexpected then. Maybe Carlos would use it in the future. There isn't any wasteful effort."

"Maybe you right..... Should I stay here for a while or rather follow them, Mr Trent?" He waited for the next order.

"Just stay in there for a while, Rudy. I want you to get any data regarding the illegal organ trade. Without Phineas around, it must be easier for you to sneak out into his lab."

"Understood sir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> every time I imagine hand to hand fight, it made me winced, remembered my old days being kicked when sparring with my taekwondo team. lulz
> 
> Finally, this chapter is done :"). Can't wait to write the story when the racoon stars regroup. 
> 
> Took some time to write it: rewrite the bad plot, and not to mention I'm a corporate slave who needs additional work time to finish all my job. Especially in this work from home thing. Now i understand why author need editor :")
> 
> Enjoyzzzz


	8. Regroup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, they regroup, OMG.

It was her first-time travel by the commercial airline, and she still felt annoyed with Jill's decision not to take any private jet. Jill insisted that they couldn't waste any money because they wouldn't know what will happen later. Birta didn't want to debate Jill and didn't want to use his father's money. She widely realized that as 'Birta' without his father, she didn't have so much money not to mention she just worked at U.B.C.S only for four months, it wasn’t enough to booked flight from China to Paris with a private jet. _We already brought 100 grand cash, and it took around twenty-nine grand to booked a private jet, why Jill so stingy?_ Thought Birta, annoyed.

Birta looked at her watch, 9.23 a.m. and it was such a crowded situation at the airport. People around the world were coming to Paris because of the holiday season. _Why people love the cold season for a holiday?_ Birta still complaining to herself.

Birta was waiting in the seat across the airport toilet, waiting for Jill. They supposed to wait for Barry around here. Looked around, she saw a tall man standing about three meters across her, wearing a maroon hoodie with big QUEEN word printed on it chest, with an apparent hole in the q part, ripped jeans, military boots, and a blue-cap, holding a duffel bag in his back. He seemed to look for something or someone, nervously. His eyes darted between the woman toilet, his watch, and the airport exit. _He has the courage to wear something like that when winter was coming like this._ Birta thought, shook her head, confused with someone like him.

Jill stepped out from the toilet, walked toward Birta, and looked around. She locked eyes with the guy Birta saw before for a moment, froze.

Then she ran and hugged him tightly.

Birta was quite shocked by what she saw. _Is it someone called Barry? He must be older, right?_ Thought Birta, still stared at Jill and the man without bother to say anything or do something.

For a moment they didn't release their each other embraced.

"I never thought you have a girlfriend here."

Birta was searching where the voice was coming from. Then she saw a beautiful girl, with a reddish-brown ponytail, wearing jeans, a thin red sweater, and boots, standing near Jill and the man. There were bruises and cuts in her face. _Don't they feel cold at all wearing something like that? What's wrong with her face, is she being abused or something?_

"I miss you," said Jill.

"I miss you too. You look so different," said the man.

 _Basically, they are hugging in front of the toilet. How romantic_. Thought Birta sarcastically, still stared at them.

After a while, they release each other embraced and looked at each other deeply and intensely.

The redhead cleared her throat. "Ahem. are you guys done yet?"

The guy and Jill then stared at the redhead then giggled.

"Sorry, we're too carried out. " the man said. “Jill, this is Claire, my sister." the man pulled Claire close to him and put his hand on Claire’s shoulder. "Claire, Jill."

"Pleasure to meet you, Claire," Jill shoved his hand to Claire.

"Pleasure to meet you, but not a pleasure to be in this situation." Claire took her hand and shook it.

They both laughed.

“Chris talked a lot about you….”

"I hope good things only.."

"….and how he was crazy-worried about you."

Chris groaned. “It is necessary to tell Jill that?"

Claire chuckled. "Yes, it is. Because you were so noisy back then, talk about Jill all the time."

Jill chuckled. Then turned around, looked at Birta, and waved her to come closer. Birta stood up then walked toward them.

“So guys, this is Queen hacker aka Birta. Birta this is Chris and his sister, Claire." Jill introduced Birta to them.

Birta shoved her hand, Chris and Claire then shook her hand, one by one, obviously.

"I thought you arrived sooner?" asked Chris to Jill.

"Delay flight---"

"Claire! Chris!"

A big man ran toward them then gave a bear hug to Chris and Claire.

“Barry! I miss you," said Claire, hug him.

"Happy to see you, old man."

Jill kinda confused with the situation, why Barry hugged Chris and Claire, but she was too happy to be bothered by it. After a while, he released his hug to them then stared at Jill and Birta. He gave a long stare to Jill.

"Damn, Jill, I thought you are another person." He pulled Jill, then hugged her. Jill wore her cheap baseball cap, and her hair still blonde, it was quite hard to recognize her as old Jill. Barry released his hug, then looked at Birta.

“You must be Birta." He shoved his hand toward her.

"You must be mycoltpyton1960@xxmail.com." Birta took and shook it.

“You remember my email address.” Barry laughed. “Anyway, I love to chit-chat here but prefer not to get any people's attention. Let’s get out of here."

* * *

  
Barry picked them up by a cheap-sedan he rented, enough for five people. Chris was in the front seat, and the rest were in the backseat. Jill sat between Birta and Claire.

“Where are Rebecca and David?" asked Jill.

"They on the way back to Paris. Got a deal with the arms dealer. Probably already arrived now." said Chris.

“It was a damn good coincidence that I could take you guys at the same time." Barry grinned.

"Wait, what do you mean coincidence? Where are you from Chris?" asked Jill.

"Saving me from the Umbrella. They kidnapped me, brought me to an isolated island, Rockfort Island, and Chris came and picked me up in Antarctica,” said Claire.

"Wait how could Umbrella kidnap you, I mean, did umbrella chased after our family too?" Jill remembered what Barry did to his family before going to Europe, sent them away.

"Long story jill. To cut a long story short, Claire went to Racoon City on September 30th. Looking for me."

"What?" Birta and Jill said it together.

"You didn’t tell her before you went to Europe?" Jill frowned.

"Heh, I didn’t want to make her worry about our situation."

"You were not only made me worry big bro, but also made me go to Racoon city!" said Claire, annoyed.

Jill pinched Chris's upper arm. "Next time make a clear note to your family, like this big guy." Jill stared at Barry. Barry just grinned.

"Alright, alright." Chris rubbed his upper arm where Jill had pinched him.

"Somehow, I managed to escape from Racoon with a young police name Leon and Umbrella scientist’s daughter name Sherry. Then we met David, Rebecca, and John on their way to Racoon City. We told them everything, then they turned the wheels, left Racoon behind. After a couple of weeks, we got false info from Chris to go Umbrella HQ in Paris, and then I got kidnapped."

“And You know what, she killed monsters like a tyrant in spencer mansion in Racoon!" said Chris, felt some kind proud.

Jill and Birta exchanged glared, then stared at Claire.

“You killed a big monster with hat and coat?” asked Birta.

“Yap”

“Without having military experience? Badass. " Birta stared at Claire, amazed.

“It was pure luck I guess. There was a woman who helped me though. She gave me a machine gun. And bam, the monster dead." Claire remembered it was perhaps Ada Wong -a woman whom Leon met, she never met her in person- who helped her.

"Just wonder how you learned to use a machine gun," asked Jill, curious.

Chris threw Claire a dagger glanced. Claire grinned. "A lady never told her secret."

"How about the other monster? He was a former umbrella scientist." Asked Jill

Claire gave a moment to think. "Ooh, you mean Sherry's father? It somewhat went into the last car of the subway we hopped in, tried to chase us and I didn’t really know what happened, but what I know for sure, Leon killed him. Wait, how do you guys know there were two monsters that chased after me?"

"Birta watched some things in Racoon before its destruction, by hacking the surveillance system."

"So, Umbrella had put cameras in the lab?" Barry asked.

“Not only in the lab but also around the Racoon city. And worst, they could live online stream every corner of Racoon City,” said Birta.

“And you know what Jill, Barry, Claire said that Irons dead! She even saw his secret lair."

“WHAT?” said Barry and Jill together.

“Yeah. He had been killed by one of the monsters in the RPD. He was with Umbrella all along, and accused me that I was one of Umbrella agent that sent to kill him." Remembered Irons made her kinda annoyed.

“Who is Irons?” asked Birta.

“Chief of police RPD”. Said Jill. “It was such a relief you’d hit him before we got suspended, Chris." Jill chuckled.

“Heh, I regret that didn’t punch him at that time." Said Barry that made him, Chris, and Jill laughed.

"You didn’t get in touch with any of the contacts I gave to you, did you, Jill?"

"No, I’m not." Jill uncertain, afraid she gave Barry the wrong response.

“Thank God. Most of them are Umbrella minions. I’m not even sure who hasn’t related to Umbrella anymore".

Barry then told Jill and the rest the brief story of his 2 months journey.

He canceled his flight to Europe, at the last minute before the plane took off because his wife called him. She told him that she got a call from a stranger -must be Umbrella- that threat her. If Barry didn’t stop investigate Umbrella, her parents' house (apparently Barry moved her wife and children to his wife's parent’s house) would be burned into pieces. Barry then went to her parent’s house, to send them to another city. He stayed for 6 weeks with his family, and trying to contact some of his friends in other S.T.A.R.S branches, investigated who were in Umbrella’s side. Believing that his family in a secure place, he joined Chris.

After Barry finished his story, it was Chris turn to share his 2 months journey before saving Claire.

A day before went to Austria, He and Barry set a meeting with a mercenary to buy and get a new identity and some information about Umbrella. Arrived in Austria, he met the mercenary, got his and Barry’s new-faked passports and ID cards, but when he asked for Umbrella information, the mercenary asked him more money, basically blackmail him. He gave the mercenary the money he asked, but Chris got nothing important, only the information the possible way to access Umbrella’s data: work at the HQ. Chris asked for other information, but the mercenary ran away.

It was the only lead he had, not to mention he’d got money problem, because of the mercenary blackmail him. The information from the mercenary quite details, there was a third-party company that had a partnership with Umbrella. They provided jobs such as janitor, administrator, and security officer, and fortunately, they need some new recruitment. With his last money, he bought proper clothes to get an interview as a janitor and try to find an internet café to prepare some papers for the interview. In spite of his body form -tall and muscular- Chris chose to be janitor, considering that janitor was easier to move from place to another place and could hear many kinds of things, rather than a security or administrative officer. To gather more information about Umbrella, he found a night club in which most of Umbrella's employees went there after work. He got a job as an assistant bartender -he had basic mixology skills even though as an assistant bartender, he didn't tend the bar. Later, Barry told him that Claire was with David all along. Needed to focus on his mission, and knew that her sister on the safe hand, Chris held the urge to meet her sister. He thought that David did a less dangerous mission, investigate and trying to get in touch with his law enforcement's friends, and digging for Umbrella's critical information.

He’d worked there for 4 weeks. From digging in the Umbrella office and in the bar, he got the info of Umbrella higher's up a profile, and all stored data Umbrella had was in Umbrella Administration HQ in Paris. He planned to move there and told Barry to meet him in Paris instead. One of Umbrella's officer turned suspicious to Chris. Sometime later he caught Chris digging some papers in the HR office at night. Panicked, he knocked him out and being chased by him and Umbrella's securities. 

Eventually, when Chris met Barry in Paris, they stayed low for a while, didn't used their phone nor email, because Umbrella HQ in Austalia had sent some people to capture the 'janitor' Chris. Couldn't stay to sit without doing anything, He went to Umbrella Administration HQ in Paris every day, to learn how to get access there. He couldn't apply to work as a janitor there, not to mention he couldn't speak french, but also probably he already in Umbrella's blacklist, consider for stealing in Austria HQ.

Several days later, when he tried to check his email, he got an email from an unknown email, told him that it was Claire, his sister, who wanted to meet with him in Umbrella Administration HQ. Remembering Birta, he thought it was maybe David, and he was too happy to know that he would meet her sister without bothering it was probably trapped. In fact, Claire got the same email, from an unknown email, claiming it was Chris. Well, it was totally a trap.

"So the email wasn't from Claire?" said Jill.

"No. I believe it was from Umbrella, to lure me out. But how they did that?"

"Obviously because of your email to Jill, Chris," said Birta firmly.

"How?"

"On your email to her, you said about Racoon City, Umbrella, zombies, tyrant and even wrote 'Jill' word. It was possible that Umbrella already filtering every email that contains Racoon City, zombie, tyrant thing after a nuke bomb at Racoon. I guess Umbrella already took a high note of your email, worse, maybe took note for all of your contacts too, because I found it already on the server around 24 hours. After that, I thwarted every of your next email."

"What?" Chris turned around to face Birta.

"You just going to blow your teammate position if they read the email, especially Jill. You sent her email almost every day for almost a month."

"I told you not to mention any of Racoon and zombies thing in email right?" Barry glanced at him, a little bit upset.

"Sorry I was too panic." Chris grinned, apologetic.

Jill pinched Chris again.

"Auch."

"Thanks for your email to Jill, I'd known your friends' email addresses. If you looked at the content of every email you sent, you mostly sent emails to Barry, some people maybe mercenaries, and Jill. And some email that sent to someone with email account primrose.red@xxmail.com."

"That's my email address," Claire said. 

"That's why I never got an email from you, Chris. Good things I always call you once a week." Barry said.

"Perhaps that's the reason some mercenaries were upset with me, I thought they never respond to my email. It was me all along."

"But I got one email from Chris though." Claire remembered that Chris sent her an email, only said that he missed her, and glad that she was safe. Even with a weird email address, wetnwild@xxxmail.com - she thought at first it was his college's friends who sent her email-, she knew it was Chris because in the end of the email he'd sent her, there was initial 'CPR'. Chris and Claire used to joke around when their mother still alive, that they are CPR siblings, -Christopher Percival Redfield and Claire Primrose Redfield- while their friends always consider them the Redfield siblings.

"Yeah, and I got Claire's respond though." Chris recalled her email only said 'Yes. Be safe. CPR'.

"It was in the first week of November, no? At that time I'd got a headache for two or three days. I couldn't monitor any of your emails at all."

"Did you use your email for your personal matter only Claire?" asked Barry.

"Uhm, I use it for sending some of my college's task though."

"I guess I know how Umbrella could send a trap email to Chris and Claire. Did you delete the email that Chris sent to Claire, and Claire's respond in the server Birta?" asked Barry.

"Honestly, no. I didn't even bother to hack your email account, Claire. I thought it was a normal email because it didn't contain any important information, and... " Birta thought for a while. "Oh damn, I know what you mean Barry."

"Yes. Those 3 days were critical times. What we could presume right now, that, Umbrella already noticed Chris's email account, then an email was sent to Claire. With her email response, they noticed Claire's email, took some info from the account, probably hacked it, and in the end, they knew that it was Claire Redfield's email. Then sent them the trap email." 

"Wow sorry Chris, Claire. I should delete those in the server.." Birta felt sorry because she thought it was her fault that made Chris and Claire went to Rockfort Island.

"Don't be Birta. It already happened though." Claire chuckled. "At least we know we should be more careful when using email." Claire

"Yap. We could think a better way to communicate in the future." Chris, adding. Barry just gave a dagger glare at Chris, Chris grinned.

* * *

A moment later, they arrived at a motel. Stepped out from the sedan, they follow Barry to their room, their temporary HQ.  
  
Opened the door, they saw Leon was helping bandage John left arm, while Rebecca was tending David's bleeding head.  
  
After exchanging some hugs and handshakes, they sat wherever they could sit. The room of the motel itself enough for 9 of them. Somewhat Birta stared at Rebecca intensely.  
  
Jill told them a brief story of her 2-month journey. From what really happened in the Racoon, she failed to convince some of the RPD police, saving some civilian then in the end they turned into zombies, met Carlos, got pierced by the Nemesis and got the vaccine, killed the Nemesis, escaped from a nuke bomb, became a baker, her unsent email to Barry and Chris, met Birta, and discover Edward as Umbrella's double agent.

After that, Claire filled her short trip to Rockfort Island. Started from an outbreak on the island, made an escaped plan with Steve, solve some puzzles in the Ashford mansion, try to escape the island with a plane that later hijacked by Alfred Ashford which made them went to Umbrella's Antarctica facility, killed a monster with a blindfold (Alex Ashford), killed Steve who turned into a monster, later met Chris and escape to the Cape Town with Chris with a plane they found in the facility.

Chris adding some stories, how he met a life Wesker in Ashford mansion with his new power, met Alexia Ashford, and how she turned into a more superpower monster than Wesker - fire and all that ridiculous thing- and killed her before the self-destruction of the facility.

David sighed, then he told his stories when he made a deal with the arms dealer. It was a total mess, the arms dealer took all his money, and surrounded him with his people, to get more money from him. David knew that the arms dealer kinda fishy. Before met the arms dealer, he asked John and Rebecca if this happened, infiltrated their base, saved him then get out from there. John and Rebecca then successfully saved David, and directly went to the train station to go to Paris. They chased by them, John got shot in his left arm, David got an almost shot to his left side of his head that now bleeding, and Rebecca only got bruises in her both legs.

David took some deep breaths, took his backpack, and brought out some papers.

"Take a look at this. Someone gave this to me at Paris train station. I didn't have time to catch him."

Rebecca who was near David took the paper and saw it. It was Umbrella's list of 'capture or kill wanted'. Most of them were black lines, so they could only see their names: Jill was on number 9, Chris was on number 11, Claire was on number 19, Rebecca was number 98, David was number 107, Barry was on the last list, number 200.

"Wow," said Chris proudly. "I bet they have more list of people to capture or kill."

"Presuming this list based on what happened. Chris killed the most important Umbrella test subject, Alexia Ashford with Claire's help, and not mention Claire successfully killed their killer machine, Mr.X in Racoon. Jill killed a monster with tentacles in Racoon and you have their vaccine in your blood, the only vaccine for the t-virus." David stared at a wall for seconds. "While I and Rebecca probably considered as people who bomb the Umbrella facility in Caliban Cove, John is considering to be dead at that time. I guess for you Barry, you've been sniffing their minions too deep. And for you Leon, I guess Umbrella didn't really know you, considering that in Umbrella facility in Utah, we went there covering half of our face and the camera system wasn't activated yet." David rubbed his neck.

"I know Chris has a list of all of Umbrella secret facility, Barry and I have a list of some Umbrella minions in the USA government and law enforcement, Jill has some evidence of Umbrella's crimes, and we have a decent hacker, Birta." David stopped for a while. "But I think we should take a break."

"What?" some of them said it together, while some of them just frowned.

"Why David? I know there are only 9 of us, and we have deadly skills--"

David raised his left hand, motion Chris to stop talking. "Look at us now. Injured, tired, and I hate to admit this, Umbrella's eyes already on us. They could know our position right now." 

They looked at each other, their faces full of bruises and cuts, not to mention they were tired as hell.

"I'm not saying that we stop investigating them. But let's take a break to heal our wound, and..." David uncertain. "We tight on money guys. And still, I hate the idea of we have to go to every Umbrella facility or lab. It's just another suicide for us. A wound on our body could heal, but when one of us dies..." David didn't continue his words, remembering Karen Driver and Steve Lopez.

"Our real enemies aren't the monster we fight. Most of them were brainless. We fight people with brains, power, and money." David gave long sigh.

Silent. They were thinking.

Jill stared at Birta, somewhat grinning. Birta just moved her mouth saying 'What' to Jill soundless. Jill then turned her head to the other.

"I guess we have a solution for the money though David." Jill then opened her and Birta's backpack, brought out the money they made into the form of four books, and put those on the bed.

All of them except Jill and Birta shocked.

"Where is the money from Jill?" asked Barry.

"How much is it?" asked John.

"It's 100 grand. Say, we got a sponsor." Jill gave them a wide grinned.

"From who? Trent?"

"You can say that. We can't save the world by using our own money right?" Birta was adding. She knew that Jill wouldn't tell them the story of how they could get the money.

"I agree with you David, that maybe we could take some breather first, money won't be a problem right now, but what's our next plan?" asked Chris.

"Train ourselves, and having a deal with an arms dealer," said Barry, who glanced at Birta. He believed that only Birta who had not got any training to survive from Umbrella and its monsters.

"We could search for some proper place to live, and umm, to train right?" said Birta. She actually felt disgusted staying at this kind of motel.

David took an envelope in his backpack.

"I got this aside from the killed wanted list." David showed it to the rest of them. "We got 3 VVIP tickets to Umbrella's Gala."

Rebecca and John took a look at the VVIP ticket. 

"Umm, praefulds Gala?" said John.

"Praefulgidus Gala." Rebecca corrected him.

"This event will be held around 3 months from now," said John, raised his brows.

"How we know this is not another Umbrella's trap?" Leon asked.

"This is an annual event. To get a fresh investment for Umbrella," said Rebecca.

"How did you know that?" Claire asked.

"Reading obviously." Claire motion her mouth saying 'nerd' soundlessly to her. Rebecca grinned.

"Yap, it is." Birta was adding. "My dad came to the Gala almost every year. The event always holds in Germany."

Everyone stared at David, waited for him to decide. Somewhat because he was Maine S.T.A.R.S Captain, and he is one of the great strategists S.T.A.R.S had, they depend on him to decide for their plan. David closed his eyes and took some breaths.

"Anyone want to go to this Gala?" asked David.

* * *

**Extra Story 1**

After regroup and discussing some things, Jill decided to book another room at the motel for the girls. They haven't decided to stay in Paris or go to Germany. David asked the girls to stay together, in case the Umbrella would ambush them, at least four is better than one to fight them.

Four of them stepped into the room and closed the door. Rebecca and Claire sat to the nearest bed.

"You know Jill, glad you are here now and having girls room ourselves," said Rebecca.

"Hmm really?"

“You have no idea, this is real freedom for all girls kind! It's tiring to wear a bra all the time because the guys always around us," said Claire.

"And I'm tired nagging all the time, especially when John starts to smoke." Rebecca gave a long sighed.

Jill chuckled. “Oh, I know how exactly it feels," Jill remembered when she stuck with Barry and Chris in Brad's house.

"Can we, you know, umm buy something proper to wear?" said Rebecca shyly, avoiding Jill's gaze.

Jill scanned Rebecca and Claire. Only Jill and Birta who wore comfortable, clean, and stylish clothes, totally different from them. "Say no more guys, let's go shopping ASAP. Buy anything you want. It's on me." 

"Do we need to tell the others?" asked Rebecca, part of her didn't want to feel betrayed to the other guys because of buying clothes without them.

"Of course not. Limited to girls only." Jill smirked.

_On the men room_

_“_ I'm glad Jill booked another room. I could smoke without hearing Rebecca lecturing me about all chemicals in the cigarette." said, John.

“Nah it's so much better because, in the end, you could still smoke. Claire cut all the cigarettes I bought until I stop smoking," said Chris, remembering Claire.

“Poor you Chris." John chuckled.

“You should consider stopping smoking though, John," David said. "Do you smoke too Leon?"

“No, I’m not. It could make me hard to breathe," said Leon. He always being such a good boy to himself.

* * *

  
**Extra Story 2**

Jill offered herself to buy late lunch for his friends after booked another room for the girls. She and Rebecca were the only ones who could speak French. Thanks to her father who taught her French, his real intention was not to know and understand more about her bloodline, but for their theft operation. Rebecca was more fluently than her, but she looked so tired from her trip from London. Jill asked Chris to come with her, help her bring some food, and he could be a good navigator -considering he knew the area, and well yeah, they could talk about something more personal.

When they stepped out from the motel, they heard Claire called them.

“Wait, I want to come with you guys. Three is better than two right?"

“Sure Claire." Said Jill.

“Let me borrow Leon's jacket first."

“We'll wait in the car, Claire". said Chris.

They both hopped inside Barry rental sedan.

"How are you doing Jill?"

"Good. Relieved that all of you still alive." Jill chuckled.

"Glad to hear that."

Silent for a moment.

"I shouldn't go to Austria if I knew that you and Claire were in trouble in Racoon. I'm sorry Jill." Chris looked down.

"No, you shouldn't Chris." Jill pat Chris's shoulder. "If you in Racoon at that time, it was possible we both die," Jill smirked, a little bit mocked Chris.

Chris chuckled, "Okay wonder woman."

"Anyway, now we already regroup right? What's not to love?" Jill gave him a wide smile.

Chris thought for a while. "How did you know it was me at the airport?"

"You wore your queen hoodie. I always remember the hole in the letter q part, and I remember you said you never will never throw it whatever happens." Jill smiled.

Chris chuckled. “I never thought being blondie will fit you."

“Say no more Chris, I look beautiful whatever my hair color is," Jill smirked, said it confidently. “You are not so bad being a baldie though."

“Being a janitor made me shave my hair and my stubble."

“At least you made yourself an attractive janitor."

“And muscular too."

They both laughed. Stared at each other eyes deeply. There were many words they wanted to say.

The backseat door opened.

“Hey, guys I bring Leon for an extra hand."

They both looked at the backseat.

“I'm happier when there’s an extra person to carry the food," said Jill.

“Extra hands so you girls don’t need to carry any..." Chris rolled his eyes

Four of them laughed.

* * *

  
**Extra Story 3**

After Leon asked Claire if he wanted to join Chris and Jill, Claire went to the girls' room, to ask Rebecca and Birta if they need something. Their room door barely closed, so she could hear some of Rebecca and Birta's conversation.

“....I tell them at the right time. It's complicated." Said Rebecca.

“There isn’t personal benefit for me to tell them though. But you know, it would be, umm, I don't know, great help for our saving the moral mission," said Birta

“Heh."

“What? Saving morals more important than saving the world right?"

“Important? Maybe. But saving moral a way more specific than saving the world."

Claire stormed in. "Hey, guys do you need to buy something? We will go out to buy lunch."

Rebecca startled, Birta head turned to Claire’s direction.

"Jeez, you could knock the door right?” said Rebecca.

“It's not even locked or closed. So?"

“Nope." Birta shook her head.

“I think I need some medical kit. Wait, I’m going to write this down first." Rebecca then searched for a paper and pen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well i make a note of my story timeline (some based on s.d perry story). Frankly, this is for me, because i need to be consistent for the plot hehehehe. Here we go!
> 
> July 24: Arklay Incident  
> August 7 (around midnight): Rebecca went to Caliban Cove with David (Maine STARS captain)  
> August 9 (morning): Rebecca, David, and John failed Caliban cove mission, hiding for a while  
> September 23: Chris went to Austria, while Barry went to move his family (again) and Jill stayed at Racoon city  
> September 24: Zombies' first attack in Racoon city. Jill started to help the citizen. / Chris met up with the mercenary, got his new identity, bargaining for Umbrella information.  
> September 25: The Citizen Jill had saved, became zombies. Jill hide for 3 days because of the apocalypse/ Chris gave the mercenary the money for information, got nothing but info to be a janitor in Umbrella HQ.  
> September 28: Jill got out from her hiding, met Carlos, and her shoulder got pierced by Nemesis's tentacle /Chris went to the third party company for janitor interview.  
> September 30: Carlos got the t-virus vaccine and gave it to Jill/ Leon and Claire came to Racoon City.  
> October 1: Leon, Claire, and Sherry successfully escaped from the self-destruction lab. At the same time, Rebecca, David, and John on their way to the Racoon city. They met Rebecca's team and escaped from Racoon City./ Jill woke up from her rest after fighting t-virus in her body, then prepared herself to investigate other Umbrella lab.  
> October 2: Jill and Carlos successfully killed Nemesis, escaped from a nuke bomb. They went to Carlos's town.  
> October 3: Chris sent an email to Jill, asking if she escaped the Racoon City incident. He asked about zombies and monster.  
> October 4: Apparently, because of Chris email to Jill, Birta knew more about Racoon STARS. She then tried to get in touch with Chris, twharted his email to Jill and other STARS members. She also twharted Jill email to Barry and Chris.  
> October 8: Sherry had being sent to his aunt, Kate Boyd, a fiercely competent criminal lawyer, one of the best in California. David's team (consists of Rebecca, Leon, Claire, and John) then hiding while trying to contact his channels with S.T.A.R.S. members in other branches.   
> November 1: David's team planned to go to Austria, regroup with Chris, but Trent told them better to go to the Umbrella testing facility in Utah. They went there. At the end of the day, Rebecca got injured, but successfully got the black book- a complete directory of codes used to program every mainframe in every White Umbrella facility./ Birta decided to sent a secret email to Chris, told him that Jill is alive, but he still needed to change his email to know more about Jill condition.  
> November 4: David's team went to London, went to his aunt's house (at least there was a place to stay in Europe rather than in the USA) /Barry went to Paris. Barry asked David to stay for a while in London, there was a change plan: Chris being chased by Umbrella. /With little resource and Leon ability of hack (he was a newbie in hacking skill, and the other couldn't do any better) they couldn't hack Umbrella's data.  
> November 11: Claire got the info from an unknown email address to meet Chris in Umbrella HQ in Paris on Nov 15. They went there.  
> November 15: A trapped is made to capture Chris but in the end, Claire got kidnapped.  
> November 18: Jill started to date Edward. (It wasn't important information though lol)  
> November 20: Birta successfully convinced Barry, Chris, and David to change their email address. Birta call Chris for the first time.  
> November 25: Jill met Birta, and she told her almost everything. She called Chris/ A moment later, Leon got email from Claire. Chris went to Rockfort island right away. Barry and Leon tried to move to another place (info from Carlos that UBCS went to capture he and Chris in his previous place) while David, Rebecca, and John went back to London, got a deal with an arms dealer. Claire on her way to get out of Rockfort island.  
> November 26: Jill went to China to send Edward to a random village there. Claire went to Antarctica. Chris arrived in Rockfort island, met Wesker, and then got info that Claire went to Antarctica.  
> November 27: Chris finally met Claire in Antarctica, fought Alexia Ashford then went to Cape Town to get a direct flight to Paris.  
> November 28: Jill went to Paris with Birta while Carlos came back to Honduras. Chris and Claire flight from Cape Town to Paris.  
> November 29: They regroup in Paris
> 
> It feels i miss something.  
> Oh i know, it was my grammar :")


	9. The Gala

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't know this chapter already posted when the story did not finishes yet. hue hue sorry guys.

**A week before the Gala**

Leon was uncertain about his decision to stay with the rest of the team, whether it was a good or bad idea. He remembered what David said to him when they first regroup with everyone else.

_You are the only one who is not chased by the Umbrella. Are you sure want to stay with us by doing some crazy-hero-acts to destroy them?_

At that time, when everyone's eyes laid on him, he was speechless. He wished that he could go back home, met his parents, and report to the nearest police department about his situation, Racoon situation, and be ordinary police, as he and his father always wanted. His heart spoke louder than his brain; helping destroy Umbrella is a way more important. He recalled what Barry said that there were more polices and law enforcement departments linked to Umbrella.

When Sherry had escorted to her aunt's house in California, it was the first time David had asked Leon whether he wanted to stay with the team or go back home. His parent's place was in Ohio, and David said that he would help to get him home. For a selfish reason, he didn't want to leave Claire, and for humanity reason, he wanted to help this small team achieve their goal.

Even he gave thoughts a hundred times, he didn't seem firm with his decision because he knew that this dangerous mission could hurt him the way he couldn't imagine. 

_How about mom and dad if I die because of my stupid decision? But being police has its own risk, right? I could die anytime. What's the difference?_

_But how about my career? Even the group has its own money, I still need money for my future, right? How long is this going to happen?_

It was good that David allowed him to sent them mail because his parents didn't understand the way email's works. He said to them that he moved to another city, but couldn't said what town because he would move a lot. He couldn't visit their place for a while but make sure he would call them before visiting them.

Someone nudge him.

"Daydreaming?" asked Barry.

"No, just tired waiting." sighed Leon.

"Imagine you have a wife and children. They will make you wait for them every second of your life, wait for them changing their clothes, putting makeup, fighting, et cetera. you name it.."

Leon remembered that He and his father used to wait for his mom to put makeup on every time they went shopping.

"At least one of us happy to go shopping with the girls." Leon glanced at John, who seemed to enjoy choosing a tuxedo with the girls.

"Look at Claire, Leon. When the other girls asked her to go shopping, her real woman-soul come out. I thought tomboy girl doesn't like shopping."

"No doubt. Every girl likes shopping, and every guy needs to wait for them. Except for John."

Barry and Leon stared at each other, then burst into a laugh.

* * *

Three days after they regroup, after searching for a proper place to live in, they decided to move to Germany. In the last minutes of desperation to choose where to live in Germany, let alone only Chris, who could speak basic Germany, Birta offered her father's house in Berlin. It was a grand four stories building with five bedrooms, seven bathrooms; everything they need was there, even there was a large gym inside. Better, her father's house was in the center of the city, with the people in the neighborhood, including people in the shopping center area, could speak English fluently. 

Before everyone came to her father's house, Birta had made five different passports for each of them, sent her black market and personal things to her father's house in Berlin, and said that she needed to check the home first without anyone else. To make sure that the group could trust her, she brought Rebecca along. It seemed weird, but Birta kept her words. Around three hours after she arrived at her house, she called them to go to her home right away.

David and Barry gave an idea that they should not only increase their physical skills but also their mental and knowledge related to computer and biochemistry, part of preparing to fight Umbrella. They should be capable of doing anything if they had to fight any monster or go to any lab alone. In her father's house, for almost three months they trained and learned many things, from military physical training, hacking computer, basic communications, basic chemical things that related to zombies things, breaking and entering skills, even learned to suture their wound. Well, most of them (except Birta and Claire) knew how to suture, but never as good as Rebecca. 

Jill had told Rebecca about the t-virus vaccine injected into her body, and seven tubes of an unknown virus that probably were tri squad virus made by Edward. Looking at their situation, Rebecca wanted to check the tubes and Jill's blood, but couldn't do anything about it. All of them trust and follow David's plan to go to the Gala, and checked the tubes nor Jill's blood wasn't on their priority yet. Rebecca gave a thought to make a mini-lab in Birta's house, but lab equipment was too expensive, and it might be dangerous to the neighborhood if something was leaking from the virus. She also thought of breaking the nearest lab around the area but being chased after the Umbrella already enough; she didn't want Bundespolize to hunt her too. About the tubes, Jill told her that when she found the tubes, it was on the freezer at -5F degree. When Jill brought those along with her from the U.S.A. to Paris on the average temperature, she said that there weren't any color or smell differences when those put in the freezer. Those viruses could be more vicious than her thoughts. On the other hand, Jill's blood might contain important information about the virus nor the vaccine. She didn't feel sure how long this vaccine could last in Jill's body, therefore with Jill's permission, she decided to take Jill's blood every week until She could access the lab to check it. Birta didn't allow her to put the blood samples and the tubes in her refrigerator. Instead, She asked Jill for money to buy a freezer to store the tubes and blood samples.

Leon, Barry, and John were chosen to attend the Gala, and David would be their driver in the limousine they leased. Meanwhile, two teams; Chris and Claire, Jill and Rebecca would be roaming around in the Gala complex with two rent vans in case something bad happened. Birta also got invited to the Gala by her father, her little brother was barging into her father's house two days before the Gala, which made everyone had to hide except Rebecca to cover some story of why she stayed in Germany. His brother told her that their father already knew that she was staying in his house by putting a GPS receiver device on her laptop. If she wanted to know the GPS technology things, she needed to attend the Gala. 

* * *

**A few hours before the Gala.**

"Remember, Umbrella highers up will be wearing a combination of white-red or red-black tuxedos or gowns. Put these on your left side of your satin lapel. This is the real 'ticket' to enter the VIP room." Birta handed three gold brooches that engraving the umbrella's logo that were found along with the VIP tickets to Barry, John, and Leon.

"This is real gold?" asked John, put the gold brooch onto his left lapel.

"Yes. 2,5 oz of 18k gold." Rebecca added, "Try to not lose this."

John gave a small laugh. "I'll try."

"Can you guess what's in the VIP room?" asked Barry, straight up his back.

"Hmm the way people came in and out, maybe there will be some kind of product pitching to make people invest in Umbrella. Only my dad who had entered the room." Birta sighed while putting earrings, "He didn't give me the gold brooch this time. "

"Just make sure you guys keep each other back" David added, gave them a worry expression while tying up his driver uniform. "Whatever in that room."

"Don't forget your background story guys." Rebecca helped Leon to comb his hair.

"Poor to rich cousins from London, last name Larson, moved to Singapore, property business. Got it," said Leon, staring at himself in the mirror.

"Too bad you guys can't bring any guns or communication device," said Chris.

"Security protocols things," said Rebecca. "Okay, all done, Leon."

"So who the most handsome?" asked John turning his body to the team. Barry, John, Leon, and David were standing in front of the mirror near the front door. Three of them except Leon intentionally didn't shave their beards and cut their hair just to make sure they looked a bit different. The other, except Rebecca, sat on the couch, watching them getting prepared.

"Do I have to answer that?" Chris looked not interested.

"Should we answer that?" Claire rolled her eyes. "Leon"

"Of course Leon," said Birta.

"Leon no doubt," said Jill

"David". said Rebecca, the other girls stared at her. "What?"

"Please forget what I said" John scowling, disappointed to hear the girls respond. All of them gave a small laugh.

David pat John's back, smiling. "We all handsome John, except the girls." He let out a long sighed, looked at Chris and Jill. "Team Chris and Jill, are you ready?" 

Chris looked at Claire, and she nodded. "We're ready"

Jill nodded to Rebecca, "So we are"

"Hope we got something from this gala. Let's go now, and be careful."

* * *

Chris's van was waiting near the back gate of the Gala's building, while Jill's van was waiting near the front gate. Arrived at the lobby, while waiting for other attendees stepped out from their limousines, John and the others were chatting on their limousine.

"Don't you need to go together with your dad?" asked John who busy watching people come into the Gala's main building.

"Nah, what matters is that I attend the gala and meet him. Let me step out before you guys," said Birta while watching the people from the limousine's window then turned at Barry and Leon's nervous faces. "Most of them don't care who you are. Just listen to whatever they say to you, primarily they would boasting about themself and their business. Say about yourself when they ask you, or don't say anything at all." Birta gave a warm smile, gave Leon -who sat beside her- a small pat in his shoulder.

"We still need to mingle to gather some information, right?" Barry let a small chuckle, trying to relax for a bit.

"It would be hard to stay near Umbrella highers up. They know a lot about big companies around the world. If they find out you're suspicious, try to distract them with the investment thing." Birta then prepared to step out from the limo. She looked at John.

"And for you John, some of these people are racist. Just avoid them as possible as you can." Birta took a long sigh. "They could be...more than irritating...upsetting"

"How could you survive with all of this?" asked John.

"Well, my father threat them that he could reveal their dark secret every time they said about racist thing." Birta stepped out from the limo. "See you at 10 p.m. guys in the lobby. Don't forget the VIP room would be open at 8 p.m., don't be late or you can't enter it."

Three of them then followed Birta to the main building. A moment they blinked, Birta already disappeared into the crowd. The securities checked every attendee in front of the entrance hall, asked about tickets, and didn't allow them to bring any cell phone or any other device. Later on, the three of them got through a walk-through metal detector, then faced the securities to showed them the tickets. The securities swiftly allowed them to enter the main building after they saw the golden brooches. It was a grand old building, greek theme, with all of the expensive decorations, and people who wear expensive clothes from top to toe. There were four main doors: the first one in the middle was the Ballroom, in the west there was a casino, and in the east, there was a closed-door with four securities in front of it, that possible it was a VIP room, and near the west door there was an average wooden size door that connected to the garden.

Leon was amazed by what see-saw, but at the same time, he thought that he didn't belong there.

"Wow. This is intimidating like I'm from a different world," said John while nudging Leon.

Barry was also amazed, but he quickly realized that they shouldn't waste time. "Let's go to the Ballroom first, follow the agenda, and blend in until....." Barry saw he watch. "before 8.p.m." Barry stared at Leon and John's tense faces.

"Okay, we could definitely eat expensive food here. Don't waste your chance, boys." Barry grinned.

"And drink free expensive liquor." John chuckled, loosen a bit.

Three of them entered the Ballroom, got something to eat, and start to eavesdrop on every possible thing that gave clues for their next step to defeat Umbrella. They didn't see any of Umbrella's highers up yet, no one in the room wore any red-white or red-black tuxedos or gowns. They have less than an hour before the VIP room opened, Barry roaming around the Ballroom, while John and Leon went to the Casino.

* * *

While in the Casino, John heard an interesting conversation between two men. He then stood behind them. Leon walked in another direction.

"How to be a VIP? I really want to enter the VIP room! This is the sixth time I haven't get any those golden brooch." said a man who standing while watching a match on the blackjack table.

"I'm curious too. But hey I heard when you enter the VIP room, that means you are accepted as one of Umbrella's cult members."

"Pfttt." He gave a small laugh. "For what benefits that a big company like Umbrella making some kind of cult?"

"Black magic so they stay rich?"

"Where do you hear this one, man?"

"You don't know? People said that after some VIPs enter VIPs room, they acting weird. It's like they were brainwashed or something."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. Along with that, I heard that they are cloning and harvesting body organs to help for their research program."

"Wow, that's super cool" John couldn't resist himself to join their conversation. "So, does it mean we can smoke cannabis in the VIP room?"

"Oh ya I heard that one too!" the man who mostly to know everything but couldn't prove it, then turned his head to John and startled. John grinned, "Could you tell me more about what do you know about the VIP room or VIP members of Umbrella?"

The other man then turned his head to John and curious why his friend suddenly didn't say anything anymore. He then frowned. "What nigga doing here?" he was shouting like someone who being robbed.

John rolled his eyes. He actually used to it when people called him 'n' things. It didn't offend him anymore, but it still annoying.

"My first time here as a VIP," John responded to him with a smile, standing straight and showing his gold brooch to him, felt winning.

"Why nigga like you could have the brooch? You must be stealing it!"

Feeling irritating, John then crosses his hand in front of his chest, then looked down at the man who insulted him, laughing, made the men bewildered, and the crowd around him started to notice them. "Ah. I know you. You're one of the most stingy investor Umbrella ever had. That's why you never get a golden brooch."

"What?! How dare you!" 

"Daniel Parsons from Star International. Inc. Should I tell everyone here how much money you invest in Umbrella? One of the lowest investors in this Gala."

"What are you talking about?" the man, confused.

"Can you shut your mouth? Don't you know what VIP could do if you bother them?" the who-knows-all murmuring to his friend, pulling his arm.

"Maybe you should take your friend's advise Daniel," John smirked.

"So your real name is Daniel? I thought your name is Aaron." He gawked, released his gripping hand to him.

"My name is Aaron, not Daniel!"

"Your friend is drunk? He even forgets his name." John gasped dramatically.

"He is not my friend. We barely know each other minutes ago," said who-knows-all, shrugged.

Leon who watched the scene across the room rushed to call securities, brought them behind him, and shouted and pointed, "He's making a fuss here." 

The securities then dragged Aaron along out of the casino. People looked around John, Leon, and the man. Some of them stared at John cynically, then they back to their own business, including the man who knows-all.

"Wow, you remembered all the Umbrella investor's info Chris gave to us. I only remember the highers up info."

"Who said I remember? I just blabbering what's on my mind" said John glanced at Leon proudly. Leon gasped for seconds then both of them laughed.

"Okay, stop laughing and start to focus again. I need to catch up with the guy who was with the arrogant man before. He said something interesting. Catch up with you later Leon." John swiveled around, but Leon held his arm.

"How about the VIP room?" 

"You and Barry could handle it without me _duh_ " John waved his hand dismissively and strolled away, left Leon standing alone. 

Leon who felt overwhelmed with everything around him scanned the crowded room, and somehow his eyes focus on a woman wore a modern long red-black cheongsam dress, with a cut from the middle thigh to the ankle in her right side, her hair was black, flapper-style bob with piece and bangs, and definitely, she was Asian. She was standing on her left side, took a glass of champagne from the waiter, then glanced at Leon for a second, winked at him, then walked away.

It took a moment for Leon to make sure his eyes didn't betray him. He blinked many times and pinched his left hand twice, just to confirm it.

_ADA WONG!_

His mind dragging him to follow her, but he only had 20 minutes before 8 p.m. If he late, that means he couldn't enter the room at all.

He decided to go after her.

* * *

Ten minutes before 8 p.m, Barry already waited near the VIP room's door, tapping the floor by his foot impatiently. He didn't know that at 7.30 p.m, the VIP room's door already opened and will be closed precisely at 8 p.m. He recalled that Birta said that at 8 p.m it will be opened, but never expect that it will be opened half-hour sooner. He scanned the entrance hall, hoping John and Leon would be running into his direction, but they never come. He afraid that something terrible happened to them, but he couldn't waste his chance to enter the room. Sighed, he walked toward the VIP's room.

It was a broad stage room with a black curtain, with 30 black leather theater recliners separated in 5 rows, each recliner has it own both side table with snacks and liquor on it and the distance with other recliner was around 1 meter. In the room, there were 10 servants, ready to be called by the VIPs if they needed something, a private bathroom, and one door that probably connected to a bar or pantry to serve food or liquor to the VIPs.

There were 10 only available seats, for some reason, Barry chose to sit in the last row, on the right corner. One of the unoccupied servants walked to Barry and offered him two cigars, one definitely Cuban cigars, and one is green cigars.

"What is this one?" asked Barry.

"This one is cannabis cigar sir, one of our new products," said the servant.

_Cannabis still illegal in most country right?_ Barry gave some thought but gave a longing stare to the servant.

"Can I take both?"

"Sure sir. Is there anything else I can help with?"

"No. Thank you." Barry dismiss the servant and looked around. Most of the attendees sure wearing white-red and black-red tuxedos and gowns, and smoke the cigars. A minute later, the black stage curtain opened, and someone wore a white hazmat suit ran into the center of the stage, waiting for something. _Oh maybe a performance to promote something,_ thought Barry.

A minute later, there was a man wandered on the center of the stage, wear ripped hospital clothes, looked so mess and some cuts on his bodies stumbled for some time. He saw the attendees blankly and making some weird noises.

Then more weird women and men appear, who first walked slowly then a bit faster toward the white-hazmat man. 

Barry remembered this noise.

The noises that made him couldn't sleep for several weeks. The noise that brought him to the memory of Arklay mountain.

Zombie's breath sounds and voices.

The white-hazmat man then pulled out a gun, probably a magnum -Barry couldn't see it clearly-, then pointed to the weirds men and women, and shot perfectly into their head, until it crushed theirs. A second later, there was one zombie man walked toward the stage and stared at the attendees, and ran toward the closest one to him. The white hazmat man shot his left hand and his right chest. He laid on the floor for a moment, then stood up, still stared blankly to the attendees, then his head being shot, crushed.

Barry sat uncomfortably, gripping the side of the recliner, his breath became faster, stared in horror. He was sure that they were real zombies, formerly humans!

The other attendees clapping and cheering, proud of what the white hazmat was doing. Later on, the servant cleaned up the dead zombies. Barry wanted to scream, but a firm hand grabbed his right arms. Barry turned his head to see who was it. 

He definitely didn't know him, he wasn't on the list of the higher up Chris gave to him. The man wore a light brown tuxedo, smiled brightly to Barry. "Calm down James, It's a bad timing if you scream here". He gestured the servant to move the recliner beside Barry's recliner to be closer to him. 

While some servants busily move the recliner silently without bothering others VIP's, Barry took some deep breaths to be calmer, then turned to the man who finally sat beside him.

"You must be Trent, who knows everything about me and my friends, even my nickname in my family."

"Oh, I must be famous enough in your group. Nice to meet you, James."

Barry didn't say anything, too much information he needed to digest. They both were staring at the stage while the white hazmat man took off the suit by the helping of the servants, revealing a sleek woman in her 50s, french braid with a bun blonde hairstyle, wore red lace vintage dress. After the servants stepped out from the stage, she began her speech.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's how our enemies against us. They are weak, incapable to defeat us. No one getting in our way even the government, because we have powerful weapons in our hands."

The attendees once again clapping and cheering.

"I'm Madelaine Murray, you must already know that." She paused for a second. "Ten years, I'm stuck in the board of directors chair as a Finance Director. I'm bored checking every finance report, to be honest." 

The attendees chuckled again. 

"That's why I'm here, to amuse you as one of the most loyal Umbrella's investors and to substitute Ferdinand, as our Marketing Director who are feeling not good enough to give his speech today." She stared at the audience. "As you can see, we have a new product that ready to be sold in the market. Cannabis cigar. This product would totally overcome the Cuban cigar sales---"

"It's not a surprise that Big company like Umbrella try to sell illegal things," Barry said to Trent, his breath already normal, but now anger filled in himself.

Trent chuckled. "That's business, James. And keep your voice down, before people here listen to our conversation."

"They seem occupied with their cannabis cigar and Muray speech though. I guess you're the one who gave us the golden ticket to attend this gala."

"Yes."

"Why? You didn't even bother to help us after the Arklay incident. You didn't even help Jill when she was in Racoon, even I bet you already know that the government would send the nuclear bomb to destroy Racoon. You didn't even help us when Chris in Austria and Paris. Why now?"

Trent didn't answer Barry, still stared at the stage.

"Why don't you report what Umbrella's doing. It would be easier to end this right? Why you choose us? We just ordinary people, not someone like you who probably has a lot of power and connections."

"You just don't know what I've been doing James. Do you think I could just report what Umbrella doing to the authorities? They have the government as their backup."

"Then what, you want us to destroy every lab Umbrella has?"

"Let's say that I give you luxury help to defeat Umbrella. Definitely, it would be a sweet victory if Umbrella is destroyed by a small group, not from a whistleblower."

"Selfish."

"Believe me, this is not as easy as you think. They know every move you make."

Barry didn't respond to him, he clenched his fist and jaws.

"I heard that Rebecca got the black book from the training facility in Utah. Did Birta successfully access Umbrella's data with that black book?"

"No. She couldn't access it at all. Umbrella's system was being reset after what happened in Utah. It was too late for her to do something about it."

"What a waste"

Barry didn't want to face Trent, he stared at the stage but he couldn't focus, he had a lot of questions in his mind, not to mention he was so upset about everything here.

"Listen, I've got something to propose to you."

"What is it? You want us to go to another lab or training facility? I'm sorry we're not your pawn."

"Of course you're not Barry. You've got your part to destroy Umbrella, and I've got mine."

"Then could you share to me what is your part?"

"Of course not."

"Then I refuse to hear your proposal."

"Because you couldn't bear the responsibility of hearing my part, Barry. We stop Umbrella together, but let just do our part, shall we?"

Barry was getting angrier, held the urge to yell. "So what is your proposal?"

"There was a lab, deep in the Ficuzza forest located around 47 km south of Palermo, Italy. It's been closed for almost a year."

Barry then glanced at Trent, looked directly into his eyes. "Let me guess, Umbrella didn't plan to ruin it out because there are too many precious things in that lab."

"Exactly. Maybe every data you need are in that lab too, server, virus sample, anything. No human with weapons would bother you." Trent shrugged.

"I predict that Umbrella hasn't sent anyone there because of monsters there."

Trent chuckled. "They had actually. U.B.C.S. Too bad they never coming back. Inexperienced soldiers."

"Do you know what I'm going to deal with there? what kind of monster?"

"No, I'm sorry. No one successfully escapes from that lab."

Barry frowned, gave a thought. He hoped that this is the last time he and his friend need to go to the lab. _Please let this be the last time we face Umbrella's monster. Please. Please._

"Is there anything else I need to know, maps, or someone to contact?"

Trent gave him a paper. "This is the only thing I could give to you, the lab's map."

"No contact to be called?"

"No."

"Then at least give me your contact."

"I'm sure you don't need it, James. Consider this is classified, and I'll know wherever you'll stay." Trent stood up, ready to leave Barry. "I'm afraid people will notice us if we talk any longer. I believe you and your team can do this Barry." Trent gave him a warm smile. Before he stepped out, he turned his head to Barry. "Aaah I forgot, you might need a hazmat suit to explore the Lab and perhaps bring long melee weapons." 

* * *

**Extra stories 1**

"So, is there any story why you can speak Germany, Chris?" asked John to Chris when they were on the train to Berlin. He sat beside Chris.

"Just interested in it somehow," answered Chris.

"That was why you could survive in Austria for a month," said Jill, joining their conversation. She sat across Chris, with Claire beside her. 

"People in the area where I lived, could speak English though, let alone the Umbrella office in Austria is their international H.Q."

Claire snorted. "You guys want to know the real reason?" 

Three of them glanced at Claire. Chris gestured Claire to shut her mouth. Claire smirked.

"When he was in his 16, there was an American-Germany family who moved next to our house. One of their family members was a beautiful young girl older than Chris. To impress her, Chris learned Germany. Oh, wait for a minute. She even offered Chris to learn Germany, because Chris said he wanted to go to Germany to study abroad."

"No.." Chris shook his head and put his left hand on his left side of his temple.

"The funny part was, one day, she asked Chris for money because she thought she was tutoring him. She needed cash for preparing her anniversary with his army boyfriend. But the best part, knowing the girl had a boyfriend, Chris still asked her to tutor him for two years. "

"Let me guess, it was his reason to enter the military?" asked John, who seemed amused to hear this story.

"Yap, to revenge the girl."

Jil and John were bursting into a laugh while Chris was only pouting. "Ha..Ha..Ha..so funny guys, so funny."

* * *

**Extra stories 2**

Birta was aware that this would happen to her but not as hard as what she ever thought. David and Barry were going to train them. John already said to her, David was part of Navy SEAL for years, then moved to work at S.T.A.R.S. He was strict if it came to training and learning something. The first day of training with the rest of the team was hell for her. She hated taking orders from others. In her head, she was complaining a lot; it seemed that she joined the military.

"Stand in line, kids, watch your distance with each other," David ordered the others, and they followed it.

Birta and Claire were quite confused, but eventually, they followed it.

"Into position," said David, the others quickly made push up position. 

Birta, who lost in her thought for a moment, became more confused.

"Didn't I said that the first warm-up would be push up?"

"YES SIR," the others said it together except Claire, who said it a bit late, and Birta, who didn't say anything at all.

"Why don't you in the push-up position, Birta?"

"Umm, okay, sorry." Birta then into a push-up position and glanced with her eyes to the others. No one laughed at her, not even John, who was always joking around.

"Start counting kids. If there is someone who doesn't count like the other, you guys have to start from scratch," ordered David. They were counting.

Birta barely kept up. The only sport she did was typing in front of the computer. Well, she counted that as a sport, though.

"Keep it up, Birta!" David shouted at her.

"I can't!" Birta shouted back to David.

"Put your mind for it, Birta! This is about mind power! Mindpower!"

Birta wanted to cry, not because David shouted at her, but because her body couldn't keep up with her mind. 

* * *

She never thought that teach others was so tricky; mostly, she wasn't patient enough. It was good that Leon became her (kind of) assistance to help other learning computer's hacking, not to mention he more patient than her. One day when Birta's turned to teach others, David massaged his temple.

"What's wrong, David?" asked Birta.

"Feel a bit dizzy. Quite hard for an old man like me to keep up with this hacking thing."

Birta then whispered to David. "Remember this, David. Mindpower. Mindpower!" then Birta gave him a coy smile, feel winning.

David just smiled back at her, more frustrated than ever.

* * *

**Extra stories 3**

"Hey, Jill. Are you still awake?" asked Claire, Jill was beside her. They were laying on king size bed in one of Birta's father's room.

"Almost enter the dream gate. Why?"

Claire then turned her body to face Jill. "I want to confess something."

"If you say you like Leon, everyone here already knows that, Claire."

"WHAT? No! it's not about him." Claire was quiet for a moment. "Okay, it will be another story."

"So, about what?"

"Don't you think there's something weird between Birta and Rebecca?"

Jill opened her heavy eyes, facing Claire. "Elaborate, please?"

"I noticed, when Birta met Rebecca for the first time, she looked at her intensely. Then when she had to go to this house, she brought Rebecca along instead you. Birta even chose Rebecca to be her roommate, instantly without considering you. I mean, you knew Birta's a few days longer than Rebecca, right?"

"Do I smell jealousy?" Jill then pinched Claire's right cheek with his left hand.

"No, it's not like I'm jealous because Rebecca chooses Birta over me like a girl friendship drama. I mean something seems off here."

Jill released her pinched. Then turned her face into serious mode. "Do you think it was love at first sight?"

They looked at each other intensely for a moment, then burst into a laugh.

"Birta seemed interested in Carlos somehow," said Jill.

"Not to mention the way Rebecca sees David. What we know for sure they were straight, right? When we went to Sisyphos bar, I remembered their eyes roaming to the group of sexy boys there."

"Who's not gonna love to see their sexy chest?"

They were giggling.

"Okay, back to the topic. Remember when you and Chris want to buy lunch on the first day we regroup? I went to the girl's room and overheard that Rebecca said something like she would tell us about something at the right time."

"I recalled that Birta asked Rebecca to assist her in telling the other about the Gala too. I mean, sure she knows about the Gala so much. Is there any manual book for the Gala, for real?"

"Yes, and she was kinda startled when Birta asked her about it, right?"

They were thinking for a second, turning around and facing the ceiling.

"Does it seem normal for rich people not to put any of their photos in their houses?"

"I don't know Claire, I never been that rich like Birta." Jill yawned. "I thought most of them narcissistic enough to put their pictures anywhere inside and outside their house."

"And sure it's not ridiculous that Birta kicked out her servant here to make us comfortable living here. Does it mean we still trust her?" asked Claire.

"How about Rebecca? She's with us since the beginning."

"I don't know. Is it just me who worries too much?"

Jill was scratching her head, remembering Edward. "Let's keep our eyes on them. Have you ever tell this to anyone besides me?" Jill yawned again.

"Only Leon."

"How about Chris?"

Claire sighed. "To be honest, He's kinda paranoid after what happened in Antarctica, that's why I told you first."

Jill chuckled. "That's normal for a sibling to worry about you, particularly in this situation."

Silent for a moment.

"Hey, Jill, thanks for hearing me out." 

"Don't mention it."

"So this is how it feels when you have a sister, spending time mostly gossiping other," said Claire, still staring at the ceiling.

Jill giggled. "I'm glad I can be someone sister then. Even not by blood."

"Don't you want to be my sister in law? Hehe," Claire tried teasing Jill. But Jill didn't respond to her.

"Jill?" Claire turned around and saw Jill already slept. 

She snorted, a little bit annoyed, and wanted to throw her pillow to Jill. But she held the urge for it and go to sleep instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so capcom decides to make another CGI movie starring Leon and claire. WHERE THE HECK IS JILL own movie? :")  
> Well, there will be RE reboot rite? but I still want a new story of Jill and the other :")
> 
> I like to make some extra stories, to show some normal conversation between them or even a hint about something that would happen in the future.  
> I hope you enjoy it.


End file.
